Draft Plan - North Coast Facilities and Management Plan - October 2023

North Coast Facilities Management Plan Santa Cruz County

Administrative Draft | October 2023

North Coast Facilities Management Plan Working Group Members: Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Transportation, California State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz County Parks, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Trust for Public Land

Administrative Draft | October 2023

Representatives Anna Eshoo, The Office of State Senator John Laird, The Office of Assemblymember Mark Stone, Santa Cruz County’s Third District Supervisor, Santa Cruz County Sherriff, California Coastal Commission, California Highway Patrol, Davenport/North Coast Association, Sempervirens Fund, Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District, Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County

Prepared By:

2040 Bancroft Way, Suite 400 Berkeley, California 94704 t 510-848-3815 ORANGE COUNTY

www.PlaceWorks.com

Other Agencies: The Office of Congressman Panetta, The Office of House of

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BAY A R EA

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SACRAMENTO

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CENTRAL COAST

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LOS ANGELES

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INLAND EMPIRE

Scott Creek County Beach Photo credit: Terry Way.

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North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Administrative Draft

Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Context

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4. Implementation

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1.1 Context

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4.1 Coordination Framework

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1.2 The North Coast Plan Area

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4.2 Operations and Maintenance Assumptions

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1.3 Visitor Demand

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4.3 Next Steps

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1.4 Purpose of the Plan

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4.4 Funding Opportunities

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1.5 Existing Conditions

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4.5 For Future Consideration

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1.6 Public Engagement

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2. Vision and Goals

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2.1 Purpose

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2.2 Vision Development Process

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2.3 Vision Statement and Goals

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5. Conclusion

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List of Appendices Appendix A: Summary of Community Engagement Round 1: Confirming the Vision

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Appendix B: Summary of Community Engagement

3. Recommended Projects

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Round 2: Reviewing the Plan

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3.1 Project Development Process

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Appendix C: Project List with Weighting Criteria Points Applied

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3.2 Projects By Zone

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Appendix D: Ideas and Strategies for Future Consideration Identified

3.3 Priority Projects

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During Stakeholder and Community Engagement Process

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Appendix E: Grant Funding Opportunities

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North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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Grehyhound Rock Coastal Access Photo credit: Terry Way.

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North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Administrative Draft

1. INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT The North Coast Facilities Management Plan (NCFMP or Plan) is the result of a highly collaborative effort, with coordination between many government and nonprofit agencies and local stakeholders, with input from the community and visitors.

Stakeholders include the Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Transportation, California State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Trust for Public Land The Office of Congressman Panetta, The Office of House of Representatives Anna Eshoo, The Office of State Senator John Laird, The Office of Assemblymember Mark Stone, Santa Cruz County’s Third District, Santa Cruz County Sherriff, California Coastal Commission, California Highway Patrol, Davenport/ North Coast Association, Sempervirens Fund, Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District, Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

Chapter 1 contextualizes the planning effort, introduces the Plan area, and describes external demands on the Plan area by visitors. This chapter outlines the purpose of the Plan and details the agencies involved in its creation and implementation. Chapter 1 further describes the existing conditions at each property addressed by the Plan and the process of public engagement undertaken as part of Plan development.

Chapter 2 focuses on the vision and goals for the Plan, explaining the purpose and describing the review of relevant planning documents for themes and overlapping goals, priorities, and recommendations. Chapter 2 also reviews the revision and refinement of the vision and goals with partner agencies and the public, and includes the Plan’s guiding vision and goals.

Chapter 3 describes the Plan’s recommended short-term and long-term projects for the North Coast. Projects are organized by nine different “zones,” spanning the North Coast area. Each zone is illustrated on a map, showing both existing conditions and where proposed projects and trails, paths, and routes are located.

This chapter also describes the identification and prioritization process of the recommended projects by the Working Group.

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Chapter 4 addresses implementation. Via a coordination framework, initiatives to facilitate collaboration between public lands managers on the North Coast are presented as well as opportunities for improved management efficiencies. This chapter also proposes next steps to implement the integrated approach, funding strategies for priority projects, and potential studies and strategies for future consideration to continue progress toward the Plan’s vision and goals.

The Plan concludes with Chapter 5, which describes the future of the North Coast and how agencies will continue to meet and adapt to changing conditions.

1.1 Context Due to its spectacular beauty, recreational opportunities, and proximity to the population centers of Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley, and the Bay Area, the north coast of Santa Cruz County (North Coast) is experiencing an increasing number of visitors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, beaches in San Mateo and Monterey Counties as well as many in Santa Cruz County were closed while the North Coast beaches remained open. This led to a significant and sustained increase in visitors to North Coast beaches. Large numbers of visitors who were not previously familiar with the area now continue to recreate there, which has exacerbated the need for more and improved facilities and the management of the various properties on the North Coast.

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Most of the properties that constitute the North Coast are lands preserved through agricultural easements or held in public trust with mandates for public access. Over 22,000 acres of land with intended public access have been added since 2005. Acquisitions of these properties were accompanied by major public campaigns, but most have not yet developed or implemented public access plans.

The lands accessible to the public on the North Coast are owned and managed by numerous public and nonprofit agencies. Despite such broad involvement, visitor amenities, infrastructure, and law enforcement services are limited and do not always meet the public expectation for safe and enjoyable conditions.

While the North Coast’s beaches, parks, and trails provide huge benefits to local residents and visitors, several public safety concerns and risks are associated with the use of these resources. Beach access paths are generally steep and rocky, which may cause injuries. Visitors are unaware of hazardous ocean conditions, which has resulted in ocean rescues and drowning incidents. Increase in visitation, and specifically the use of fireworks, presents increased fire risks. Congestion along Highway 1, particularly on weekends during the high season, has led to an increase in vehicle collisions and hazardous conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Plan area is also home to numerous unpaved, unofficial parking areas with undefined boundaries. Without proactive management, parking lots can expand, damaging habitat and creating dangerous

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Rugged Greyhound Rock Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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situations for users from both natural hazards and traffic hazards.

In addition, high demand for limited space leads to unsafe driving behavior in parking areas and while slowing, stopping on, exiting, entering, and crossing the highway. Drivers who park on the inland side of the highway must cross, becoming pedestrians using unmarked crossings often with poor visibility.

The limited visitor amenities also present a burden to small farm operations adjacent to public lands and to vulnerable plant and animal communities. The lack of restrooms results in trailside defecation, urination, and access routes strewn with toilet paper, often on easements through agricultural lands. Increased visitation has also exacerbated the issue of litter in some locations along the coast. Due to limited trash receptacles, the existing trash receptacles are frequently overflowing, feeding excess populations of ravens, crows, and ground squirrels that prey on threatened and endangered species. When available, trash receptacles are typically at the top of the bluffs above the beaches, and visitors do not see or use the receptacles and instead leave trash on the beach.

Some beaches are far from roadways and/or not visible from the roadway, which limits access and surveillance by enforcement bodies and access for emergency services. These conditions make it challenging to address the hazards and impacts created by activities like parties, unpermitted camping, and littering.

Growing concern about public safety and environmental health, and the interest in maintaining quality visitor experiences led the County to apply for and secure a grant from the California Coastal

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Conservancy and California State Parks to help fund the NCFMP.

1.2 The North Coast Plan Area The Plan area extends from the northern border of Santa Cruz County in the state of California, abutting San Mateo County, to the northern edge of the City of Santa Cruz, and from the western edge of Santa Cruz County along the Pacific Ocean to up to one mile inland (see Figure 1-1, North Coast Plan Area). In many places, the accessible or potentially accessible areas are limited by topography such as coastal bluffs and cliffs to much less than one mile inland from the Pacific Ocean. This boundary generally describes the accessible or potentially accessible areas of the North Coast.

There is one main road through the Plan area (Highway 1) with short, narrow, and sometimes unpaved alternate routes allowing access slightly closer to the coast or slightly more inland. There are only two roads intersecting with Highway 1 and traversing farther inland, and both are steep, narrow, and windy, and one of them is a loop, only connecting back to Highway 1.

Inactive railroad tracks parallel Highway 1 through the southern half of the Plan area, generally on the coastal side of the highway, except at the northern terminus between Highway 1 and Cement Plant Road where the tracks cross to the inland side of the highway and continue for 0.71 miles.

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Figure 1-1. North Coast Plan Area Brookdale

Waddell Beach

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Swanton Greyhound Rock Beach

Glen Arbor

San Vincente Redwoods

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

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Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

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Davenport Landing

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Project Boundary

Parks and Open Space Access Restrictions No Public Access Restricted Access Open Access

North Coast Agencies and Organization Lands

Davenport Beach & Bluffs

Shark Fin Cove Bonny Doon Beach

Wilder Ranch State Park

Panther Beach Yellowbank Beach Laguna Creek Beach

Bureau of Land Management

Majors Gordola

California Department of Fish and Wildlife California Polytechnic State University Foundation Private

Four Mile Beach Three Mile Beach

Peninsula Open Space Trust Santa Cruz County Sempervirens Fund

Wilder Beach

California State Parks

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Within the Plan area are the community of Davenport (population of 509), a few businesses mostly concentrated in Davenport, and an unpaved airstrip in the northern portion of the Plan area.

The majority of the land is open and undeveloped, used for agriculture or protected and made available to the public when possible. The landscape includes cliffs, bluffs, coastal mountains, and numerous beaches: Waddell Beach, Greyhound Rock Coastal Access, Scott Creek Beach, Davenport Landing, Davenport Beach and Bluffs, Shark Fin Cove, Bonny Doon Beach, Panther Beach, Yellowbank Beach, Four Mile Beach, Three Mile Beach, Wilder Beach. The following parks and open spaces provide public access and recreation: Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Greyhound Rock Coastal Access, Scott Creek County Beach, Davenport Landing Beach, Davenport Beach and Bluffs, Coast Dairies State Beaches, and Wilder Ranch State Park. Additionally, several properties in the North Coast are planned for future public access, including San Vicente Redwoods, Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, and Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line.

1.3 Visitor Demand Over three million people live within an hour’s drive (on a lighttraffic day) of a beach on the North Coast, primarily in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San Mateo Counties. Despite slowing population growth in California, the number of people living in these areas is expected to continue to increase over at least the next 40 years, and it is reasonable to expect demand for visits to the North Coast to continue to grow alongside population growth.

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The COVID-19 pandemic greatly increased demand for outdoor recreation opportunities, and it is not yet clear if this increase is temporary or will be sustained. Other factors that routinely affect demand include seasonality, weekday/weekend availability, weather, media attention, and the attraction of easily accessible facilities.

Although the North Coast is not considered a disadvantaged community (DAC), residents from DACs (including the City of Watsonville and other regionally defined disadvantaged communities in the urban areas of Santa Cruz) access the North Coast for outdoor recreation opportunities, always invaluable to quality of life and crucial during a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

1.4 Purpose of the Plan An urgent need exists for coordination and collaboration between agencies and for development of a cohesive plan for sustainable recreation management, needed visitor facilities, and funds to implement and maintain both. Many individual plans have been drafted and/or approved for public lands within the region, including the Bureau of Land Management’s California Coastal National Monument Resource Management Plan for Cotoni-Coast Dairies (2021); State Parks’ Coast Dairies Long-Term Resource Protection and Access Plan (2001) and Big Basin Redwoods State Park Final General Plan and Monterey Bay Sanctuary Sceneic Trail Master Plan 2013 and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (2013); and the County’s North Coast Beaches General Plan (1987), North Coast Beaches Unified Plan (1990), and North Coast Beaches

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Panther Beach Crowd and Trail Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

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Master Plan (1991). However, no recent consolidated facilities and management plan with coordinated goals and objectives or sample work products exists.

In response to this, and at the invitation of the Third District County Supervisor and Senator John Laird, a group of State and local government representatives, community members, and subject matter experts established a Working Group to draft a comprehensive and long-term plan to coordinate and improve facilities and management on the North Coast - the NCFMP. The Plan is a guiding document and identifies goals, actions, and priorities to achieve increased efficiency in project planning and coordination, decrease operation and management plan conflicts, and increase potential for grant funding for capital projects. This coordinated Plan identifies the collective priorities and multibeneficial actions that leverage a range of resources to enhance the visitor experience, manage visitor impacts, and preserve natural resources. This Plan is intended to identify facility needs along the northern coast of Santa Cruz County and opportunities or strategies to address them. This Plan is not a project document; implementation of listed projects and priorities will require project level environmental studies, design/engineering, and in some cases, funding to be identified. The North Coast Facilities Management Plan offers a roadmap to when and how projects should be developed.

1.4.1 Involved Agencies As coordination between agencies is a prime directive of this Plan process, this section provides an orientation to the agencies

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involved in the NCFMP, including those who manage property or who have a jurisdictional or regulatory role within the Plan area.

Staff from these agencies participated in a Working Group that met throughout the development of the NCFMP to guide development of the Plan. Agencies that have projects identified in the Plan are listed here with the symbol and color used to represent their proposed projects throughout the Plan. Agencies that participated in the Working Group but do not have listed projects are included on the next page.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal agency and part of the Department of the Interior, and is responsible for administering federal lands. BLM manages Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument.

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a State agency responsible for highways throughout the state.

Caltrans manages Highway 1 and is responsible for permitting all ingress and egress from Highway 1 to adjacent properties.

California State Parks (State Parks) is a State agency that manages the State parks system. State Parks manages Big Basin State Park, Coast Dairies State Beaches, and Wilder Ranch State Park.

County of Santa Cruz (County Parks) is a County agency responsible for managing a diverse parks system including neighborhood and regional parks, coastal access points, trails, and cultural and recreational programs for all ages throughout the unincorporated county. County Parks manages Scott Creek County Beach and Davenport Landing Coastal Access.

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Scott Creek Aerial Photo credit: Terry Way.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (Land Trust) protects, cares for, and connects all people to the vibrant natural and working lands that are essential for our community and nature to thrive together for generations to come. Land Trust manages Davenport Bluffs and San Vicente Redwoods, which is nearby but outside of the Plan Area and Davenport Landing Coastal Access.

■ The Office of State Senator John Laird

Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is an autonomous regional agency responsible for transportation planning and implementation efforts that cross city-county boundaries in Santa Cruz County. RTC manages Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line and is pursuing implementation of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail (MBSST).

■ Davenport/North Coast Association

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to create parks and protect public land so that everyone will have access to the benefits and joys of the outdoors for generations to come. TPL is involved in the development of the Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies.

Agency To Be Determined (Agency TBD) may be used in the Plan when a project has been identified as a need or priority, but ownership, management responsibility, and/or agency mandate are yet to be assigned.

Other agencies that participated in the Plan’s Working Group include:

■ The Office of Assemblymember Mark Stone ■ Santa Cruz County’s Third District Supervisor ■ Santa Cruz County Sherriff ■ California Coastal Commission ■ California Highway Patrol ■ Sempervirens Fund ■ Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District ■ Amah Mutsun Land Trust ■ Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County

1.5 Existing Conditions The North Coast has had limited development due to limited access and harsh conditions. The following maps illustrate existing conditions and visitor-serving facilities on the North Coast. The distribution of zones through the Plan area is shown in Figure 1-2.

Figures 1-3 through 1-11 examine the Plan area by zones numbered one through nine from north to south, allowing for a closer look at conditions clustered by amenity and access nodes. Figure 1-12 shows the overall distribution of amenities. A discussion of the challenges presented by the existing conditions follows.

■ The Office of Congressman Panetta ■ The Office of House of Representatives Anna Eshoo

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Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Figure 1-2. North Coast Plan Area Zones Zone 1: Big Basin

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Zone 2: Greyhound Rock

Lompico

Brookdale San Vicente Redwoods (CEMEX)

Swanton

Ben Lomond

Glen Arbor Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Felton

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Zone 3: Scott Creek

Zone 4: Davenport Davenport

Zone 5: Shark Fin Cove

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Wilder Ranch State Park

Zone 6: Yellowbank/Panther Beach Zone 7: Laguna Creek

Majors Gordola

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Zone 8: Four Mile Beach 1

Zone 9: Wilder Ranch

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Figure 1-3. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 1: Big Basin Big Basin Redwoods State Park

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Rancho del Oso Welcome Area

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Theodore J. Hoover Natural Preserve

EXISTING AMENITIES Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities Restrooms State Parks Campgrounds Park Office Visitor Center EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California Coastal Trail (informal) State Park Trails NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California State Parks

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Waddell Creek Beach-Rancho del Oso

PARKS AND OPEN 0’ 250’ 500’ SPACE 750’ ACCESS 1000’ RESTRICTIONS Open Access

PROPOSED PROJECTS

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Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center

Zone 1 is defined by the northern boundary of the Plan area and Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Western access to Big Basin Redwoods State Park is exclusively in this zone, focused on Rancho del Oso and Waddell Beach, both owned and managed by California State Parks.

Along Highway 1, Waddell Beach amenities include unpaved parking areas on both sides of the highway, and two vault toilets with trash cans on the coastal side of the highway. The 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire heavily impacted the majority of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, leading to the park’s closure post-fire. Portions of the park, including the Rancho del Oso Visitor Center Area, which itself was not impacted by the fire, are currently open. This area includes a paved parking lot with Americans with Disabilities Act h (ADA)-accessible spaces, restrooms, aa n cpark eR d office, and trash receptacles. Due to closure of many of the park’s trails, the equestrian camping area at Rancho del Oso is currently available for walk-in camping only. Limited trail access is also available from Rancho del Oso, while an extensive planning effort is underway for the eventual reconstruction of lost facilities and reopening of closed portions of the park.

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Proceeding south along Highway 1, Zone 2 encompasses the intersection of Swanton Road and Highway 1 as well as Greyhound Rock Coastal Access, which is managed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The rock of Greyhound Rock is owned by State Parks. Greyhound Rock Coastal Access, on the coastal side of Highway 1, includes paved parking lots, restrooms, trash receptacles, and coastal access via trails with vista points to the bluffs and beaches.

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Figure 1-4. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 2: Greyhound Rock

Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Restrooms EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California Coastal Trail (formal) California Coastal Trail (informal)

Greyhound Rock

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California Polytechnic State University Foundation California Department of Fish & Wildlife California State Parks

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PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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EXISTING AMENITIES

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Figure 1-5. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 3: Scott Creek

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On-street Bike and Trail Facilities Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Trails California Coastal Trail (informal) State Parks Roads NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management California Polytechnic State University Foundation Santa Cruz County

Scott Creek Beach

Scott Creek Marsh

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EXISTING ROUTES

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EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities

The next zone south along a long stretch of Highway 1 is Zone 3, with Scott Creek Beach on the coastal side of the highway and Scott Creek Marsh on the inland side of the highway.

Scott Creek Beach and land on the coastal-side of the highway are owned by County of Santa Cruz. A small section owned by the California Polytechnic State University Foundation (University) interrupts County-owned land in the northern part of Zone 3 and connects to a large property occupying the entire northern part of Zone 3 inland from the highway. This property is not open to the public. Abutting the University property on the southern inland side is Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, owned and managed by BLM. South of the County-owned property, State Parks-owned Coast Dairies State Beaches abuts the southern end of County-owned Scott Creek Beach on the coastal side of the highway. A paved shoulder wide enough for perpendicular Mparking fits oli n o Creek between the highway and Scott Creek Beach, separated from the beach by bollards. Trash receptacles, bike racks, and an information kiosk are present at the entrance to the beach.

California State Parks

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PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

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Scenic North Coast Scott Creek Lonely Highway Photo credit: Terry Way.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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Zone 4 includes the Davenport area. The inland part of Zone 4 is Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, owned and managed

by BLM, encircling the privately-owned CEMEX Plant property and the community of Davenport. Coast Dairies State Beaches, owned and managed by State Parks, continues down the coastal side of the highway, interrupted by the CEMEX property at Davenport Bluffs, which has a public access easement. Davenport is the northern terminus of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, managed by RTC, which continues south adjacent and parallel to Highway 1. At the north end of the zone, two small informal pullout parking lots on the coastal side of Highway 1 provide access to a loop trail out to the edge of the bluff and extending south to Davenport Landing Beach managed

by County Parks. Davenport Landing Beach can be accessed via Davenport Landing Road, a loop road on the coastal side of Highway 1 with one end at Swanton Road’s southern terminus and the other end at Cement Plant Road’s northern terminus. Unpaved shoulder parking, an ADA-accessible parking space, a few perpendicular unpaved parking spaces, trash receptacles, an ADA-accessible ramp, and a restroom are at the access point to the beach.

Traveling south on Cement Plant Road, the small hamlet of New Town Davenport precedes the former CEMEX cement plant. Where Cement Plant Road rejoins Highway 1 just before Davenport, a large informal parking area is on the coastal side of both the highway and the railroad tracks. Davenport is concentrated on the inland side of the highway. On the coastal side of the highway is Davenport (or San Vicente) Beach, part of the Coast Dairies State Beaches. An informal parking area connects to several trails that traverse the railroad tracks to access the beach and cliffs. Trash receptacles are available at several points along the trails and parking area, and one portable restroom is present.

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Davenport Landing Restroom. Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Trails

Figure 1-6. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 4: Davenport

California Coastal Trails (informal)

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NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management Private Santa Cruz County California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

Davenport Landing Beach

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LEGEND EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities Restroom EXISTING ROUTES

Davenport Beach / San Vicente Beach

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Trails NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND

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Shark Fin Cove parking. Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

Trash at Bonny Doon Beach. Photo credit: Noel Bock.

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In Zone 5, all land and beaches on the coastal side of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which is managed by RTC and continues through this zone, is owned and managed by State Parks. Inland of Highway 1, Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument surrounds Bonny Doon Road and continues to the south, managed by BLM. A small, informal pullout parking area on the coastal side of Highway 1 is at the north end of Zone 5, providing additional access to trails to Davenport Beach. Farther south, a long unpaved informal shoulder parking area in the Caltrans right-of-way, with a trash receptacle connects with short trails to Shark Fin Cove and blufftop trails. At the south end of Zone 5, south of the intersection of Bonny Doon Road and Highway 1, is Bonny Doon Beach. Amenities include trash receptacles and a paved, formalized parking lot with marked spaces.

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

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Figure 1-7. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 5: Shark Fin Cove

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities EXISTING ROUTES

We s t L i d d e l l C ree k

California State Parks Road California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management Private

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California Coastal National Monument

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North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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Figure 1-8. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 6: Yellowbank-Panther Beach

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Panther Beach

LEGEND EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities EXISTING ROUTES

Yellowbank Beach

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In Zone 6, all land and beaches on the coastal side of Highway 1, except the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which is managed by RTC and continues through this zone, is owned and managed by State Parks. Inland of Highway 1, Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument is the dominant property, managed by BLM. TPL is involved in the development of public access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument in this zone. At the center of Zone 6 is a informal parking area and access across the railroad tracks to Panther Beach. The unpaved parking area occupies a long, narrow strip between the railroad tracks and Highway 1, and is separated from the highway by a vegetated berm or dune except at the ingress/ egress point. There is a trash receptacle near the informal railroad crossing and from there trails to Yellowbank Beach and Panther Beach continue south and west.

California State Parks Road California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management California State Parks

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PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

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Figure 1-9. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 7: Laguna Creek

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In Zone 7, most land and beaches on the coastal side of Highway 1, except the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which is managed by RTC and continues through this zone, is owned and managed by State Parks, in addition to a small parcel Ba ck framed by Laguna Road. Inland of Highway the southern R1, an ch Rd end of Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, managed

by BLM, extends to the north side of Laguna Road. At one end of Laguna Road, is an informal parking area, also on the inland side of Highway 1. Beach access is across the highway, where no crossing infrastructure is present, and via trails through vegetation and over the dune, then across the railroad tracks to a trail to the beach. These are the only Co as t R d facilities in Zone 7 aside from California State Parks roads Coa and informal California Coastal Trail. s t Rd

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Laguna Creek Beach

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LEGEND EXISTING AMENITIES Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management California State Parks

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PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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250’ 500’ 750’ 1000’

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Zone 8 is shown in Figure 1-10. The entirety of this zone is owned and managed by State Parks as Wilder Ranch State Park, except the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which is managed by RTC and continues through this zone, and the Caltrans right-of-way for Highway 1. Zone 8 includes Four Mile Beach and access to a variety of trails in Wilder Ranch State Park, including an unpaved shoulder parking area just south of the turnoff for the Baldwin Loop Trailhead on the inland side of Highway 1. On the coastal side of Highway 1, just south of the Baldwin Loop Trailhead, is an unpaved parking area with a trash receptacle for Four Mile Beach partially separated from the highway by vegetation, followed by another informal parking area on the inland side of the highway further south, to provide additional access to Baldwin Loop Trail.. Informal trails connect the parking area to a segment of the California Coastal Trail and California State Park road and trails and the beach. Farther south on Highway 1 is another very small, paved informal shoulder parking area at a gate to a State Parks road connecting to Three Mile Beach and segments of the California Coastal Trail.

Greyhound Rock Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

26

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Ln

LEGEND

e

o

Figure 1-10. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 8: Four Mile Beach

EXISTING AMENITIES

D

im

Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities B ald

State Parks Campgrounds

win

EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road

Cree

k

California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities Dim

California Coastal Trail (existing) eo

California Coastal Trail (informal) Ln

NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS Open Access

Four Mile Beach

Three Mile Beach

N 0’ 250’ 500’ 750’ 1000’

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

27

At the south end of the Plan area is Zone 9, shown in Figure 1-11, with the southern end abutting the edge of the City of Santa Cruz.

All public lands in this zone are owned and managed by State Parks as Wilder Ranch State Park. The Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which is managed by RTC, continues through this zone. Off of Coast Road on the coastal side of Highway 1, Wilder Ranch Day Use Parking offers paved formal paid parking, trash receptacles, and a restroom. From here, there is access to the Wilder Ranch Interpretive Center and picnic areas, as well as the Old Cove Landing Trail and Ohlone Bluff Trail, which traverse the edge of coastal bluffs and provide views of the ocean and infrequent, informal beach access. There are trails to other parts of Wilder Ranch State Park, that are accessed via an underpass of Hwy 1. On the inland side of Highway 1. Some trash receptacles are available along these trails. There is a large, unpaved shoulder parking area on the south/west side of Highway 1 near the Wilder Ranch Interpretive Center that provide more immediate access to Wilder Ranch State Park trails on the inland side of Hwy 1. Access is either across the highway where no crossing infrastructure exists, or down a steep informal trail on the coastal side to the underpass.

A paved multi-use path parallels Highway 1 from the underpass to the City of Santa Cruz and provides a popular route for bicyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians to access Wilder Ranch.

Placeholder (Wilder) Photo credit: Placeholder.

28

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

Wi

ld

M ed er C r

LEGEND

Figure 1-11. North Coast Existing Conditions - Zone 9: Wilder Ranch

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities Restrooms EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities der

California Coastal Trail (existing)

C r ee k

Me

Caltrans Trails California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS Restricted Access Open Access W i

r lde

Wilder Ranch Interpretive Center

Cr

ee k

ild

Shaffer Rd

S h a f fer Rd

W

er

C

A

ree k

Fern Grotto Beach

y

De

Old Cove Landing

Wilder Beach (no public access)

M c A l l i s t e r Wa

Sand Plant Beach

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

500’ 250’

z on D r

0’

Ho r i

N

1000’

750’

29

The distribution of existing amenities on the North Coast can be seen in Figure 1-12. Restrooms are in limited supply along the North Coast, with only Zones 1, 2, 4, and 9 offering this crucial amenity over a 15-mile stretch of world-class views and recreation. Restrooms and paved parking areas are concentrated at the north and south ends of the Plan area, with fewer and more informal facilities in between. The available facilities are primarily State Parks facilities. Trash receptacles have more consistent distribution through the Plan area, but historically, servicing of both trash and restroom facil-ities has not kept up with demand, resulting in reduced efficacy of the facilities.

Of the 22 parking areas available in the Plan area, only 6 are paved and formalized. An additional 17 unpaved areas are used as informal parking areas by visitors. Many are located along Highway 1, exposing visitors to fast-moving traffic. These informal parking areas often occur on Caltrans-owned right-of-way, which precludes formalization of designed parking.

1.5.1 Discussion Throughout the Plan area and especially in the middle zones, fragments of formal trails, a proliferation of informal trails, and a variety of landowners creates a complex landscape in terms of access and regulation. Active agricultural land adjacent to public lands and public access routes, formal or informal, results in con¬flicts. The public may trespass on private property unknowing¬ly, thinking they are on public land, as most property boundaries in the Plan area are not fenced at the property line.

Agricultural activities may present health hazards from dust or

30

chemicals to users of adjacent public trails or lands. Litter and waste, due to lack of restrooms and trash receptacles, create environmental hazards and impacts on public land and private land. Informal trails may present hazards to members of the public, which landowners (public and private) have a responsibility to prevent. The responsibility for emergency response and enforcement is also complex: frequent issues include injury from to recreational activities, exposure to hazardous or unsafe conditions, and trespass or inappropriate activity. Furthermore, the public’s knowledge of which enforcement body to contact is limited. When combined with the remote and extreme nature of the North Coast, provision of emergency services and policing is complex and challenging.

The NCFMP process underlined the challenges to providing safe, adequate facilities along the North Coast, from the formalization of parking areas and in finding suitable flat sites with minimal impacts to sensitive resources, to the management and provision of public safety for users. No single agency can provide all the facilities needed nor address the challenges presented by the current conditions, reinforcing the need for a coordinated, multiagency approach to improving and managing open space along

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

LEGEND

Figure 1-12. North Coast Existing Amenities

EXISTING AMENITIES

Zone 1: Big Basin

Lompico

Trash Brookdale Restrooms

Swanton

Formal Parking

San Vicente Redwoods (CEMEX)

Formal Parking (10 Parking Spaces)

Ben Lomond

Informal Parking

Zone 2: Greyhound Rock

NOTES • Trash signifies locations where trash is

Glen Arbor

collected, not number of receptacles.

•

Restrooms signifies locations with

Henry Cowell Redwoods Informal parking: no capacity counts are State Park restrooms, not number of toilets.

•

Zone 3: Scott Creek

provided due to informal nature.

Felton

Zone 4: Davenport

Zone 5: Shark Fin Cove

Davenport

Zone 6: Yellowbank/Panther Beach

Zone 7: Laguna Creek

Wilder Ranch State Park

Majors Gordola

0’

5,000’ 10,000’ 2,500’ 7,500’

N

Zone 8: Four Mile Beach

Zone 9: Wilder Ranch North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

31

San

the North Coast.

1.6 Public Engagement The creation of the NCFMP was spurred by the needs and demands of both agencies and the public. To ensure that the Plan addressed the concerns of and incorporated the contributions of local and regional public, the development of the Plan included engagement activities to publicize the process, invite contributions, and collaborate with stakeholders.

Engagement was focused into two rounds around key project phases: Round 1, Confirming the Vision, and Round 2, Reviewing the Plan.

1.6.1 Round 1: Confirming the Vision The purpose of Round 1 was to raise awareness about the NCFMP, provide information about the purpose and goals of the NCFMP, and educate the public about the need for coordinated efforts among agencies. At the initiation of Round 1, marketing materials were developed to be distributed during both rounds of engagement.

Round 1 activities focused on stakeholder interviews, an online survey, and pop-up events.

Marketing materials included a project fact sheet, a project page on the County Parks website with project mailing list signup and comment/question submission, and a pop-up toolkit to enable partner agencies and organizations to easily access relevant project materials and resources and host successful outreach

32

events.

The online survey was first released to the public on October 3, 2022. It was distributed on paper flyers at in-person pop-up events: State Parks hosted tables at six public events between October 7 and October 19, 2022, including at the Watsonville Farmers Market, Felton Farmers Market, Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market, Welcome Back Monarch Day and Open Streets Santa Cruz events at Natural Bridges State Park, and the Cloverdale Ranch Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) open house. County Parks held a pop-up on November 15, 2022. Various organizations also promoted the survey to their audiences via email newsletters and social media posts, including Friends of the North Coast (FONC), Davenport/North Coast Association (D/NCA), and Rural Bonny Doon Association (RBDA). The online survey closed on November 30, 2022. Between October 3 and November 30, 2022, there were 214 complete survey responses. Contact was made with over 400 people at these events, and over 100 people expressed specific interest in the NCFMP. Stakeholder interviews were held in October and November 2022 with FONC, D/NCA, and RBDA. At each interview, a brief presentation provided context on the project, including scope and overall schedule, vision and goals, and opportunities for community engagement. Questions about the presentation and discussion of stakeholder issues were the primary focus of the interviews. Stakeholder groups provided feedback on the Plan’s vision and goals and priority improvements for the North Coast.

Key input from the survey centered around the need for safe

Chapter 1. Introduction and Context | Administrative Draft

access, adequate facilities for visitors especially trash and restrooms, and parking. Several locations received comments indicating high interest from the public including Davenport Beach, Bonny Doon Beach, and access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. Results from the survey were shared with the Working Group and informed finalization of the vision and goals, which informed subsequent phases of the Plan development. A summary of Round 1 survey results is included as Appendix A.

1.6.2 Round 2: Reviewing the Plan The purpose of Round 2 was to solicit public feedback after the release of the Draft Plan. Activities included a virtual public workshop and a second online survey.

The virtual public workshop…

Aerial view of Greyhound Rock. Photo credit: Terry Way.

The second online survey focused on prioritization of draft capital projects identified in the Draft Plan.

A summary of Round 2 survey results is included as Appendix B.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

33

2. VISION AND GOALS This chapter describes the Plan’s guiding vision and goals. To guide the coordination needed by several public agencies and the community for development, operations, implementation, and funding of facilities on the North Coast, the development of the Plan included drafting and refining a vision for the North Coast and goals in specific areas that partners and stakeholders identified as integral to comprehensive improvements.

2.1 Purpose The Plan’s vision statement and goals guided the selection of a set of high-priority projects with support from the North Coast’s various agencies and organizations to enhance the North Coast visitor experience, manage visitor impacts, and preserve natural resources. They can also be used to guide future collaboration and prioritization efforts for the North Coast.

34

Aerial view of Davenport Landing. Photo credit: Terry Way.

Chapter 2. Vision and Goals | Administrative Draft

2.2 Vision Development Process The process for articulating the vision and goals for the North Coast began with review of 21 existing plans and other documents (see Table 2-1) relevant to planning in the area. From these, common themes of goals, priorities, and recommendations for the various North Coast properties were extracted and condensed.

To develop the vision statement, the overarching sentiment behind the common themes was combined with the impetus for the Plan – the urgent need for coordination and management improvement on the North Coast – to articulate the desired state that would result from implementation of the NCFMP. This draft was refined in collaboration with partner agencies and vetted with the public, as described in Section 2.3.

The key and recurring themes from the background document review led to seven categories for the goals: Regional Planning and Partnerships; Public Safety; Public Access and Regional Connections; Stewardship, Maintenance, and Facilities; Vegetation Management; Plant and Animal Habitat Conservation and Restoration; and Historic, Cultural, and Archaeological Resources. Goal statements for each category were developed with partner agencies, incorporating priorities expressed by the public.

At the September 2022 Working Group meeting, the partner agencies discussed and offered input to ensure the vision and goals aligned with their agencies’ functions, and to incorporate the multifaceted management needs into these important guiding statements. The discussion included whether partner agency representatives agreed with the Draft Vision and Goals, if they found them consistent with the background document review content, and providing input on adjustments to the wording of the vision statement and goals.

As part of Round 1 of community engagement, the survey sought input on which goals/topic areas resonated with survey participants most, and they were asked to mark their top three goal categories. After this round of community engagement, the goals statements and a summary of the survey input were brought back to the Working Group partner agencies for final refinement.

The resulting vision and goals are presented in Section 2.3.

Notes for Table 2-1. Existing Planning Documents (pg. 36) Source: PlaceWorks, 2023.

Notes: BLM = Bureau of Land Management, Land Trust = Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, TPL = The Trust for Public Land.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

35

Table 2-1. Existing Planning Documents Document Name

Year of Adoption

Agency

Wilder Ranch State Park Environmental Impact Element Report (EIR)

1980

State Parks

Wilder Ranch State Park FEIR and General Plan

1980

State Parks

General Plan for the North Coast Beaches

1987

County of Santa Cruz

North Coast Beaches Unified Plan

1990

County of Santa Cruz

North Coast Beaches Unified Plan, Appendix I

1990

County of Santa Cruz

North Coast Beaches Master Plan, Appendix II

1991

County of Santa Cruz

North Coast Beaches Master Plan, Appendix III DEIR

1991

County of Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County General Plan and Local Coastal Program

1994

County of Santa Cruz

Coast Dairies Long-Term Resource Protection and Access Plan

2001

TPL

Big Basin Redwoods State Park Final General Plan and EIR

2013

State Parks

Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network Master Plan

2014

RTC

San Vincente Redwoods Public Access Plan

2018

Land Trust

Santa Cruz Coastal Reuse Plan for CEMEX Property (Draft)

2019

County of Santa Cruz

Regional Transportation Commission North Coast Rail Trail FEIR, Volume 1

2019

RTC

Regional Transportation Commission North Coast Rail Trail FEIR, Volume 2

2019

RTC

Regional Transportation Commission North Coast Rail Trail FEIR, Volume 3

2019

RTC

Regional Transportation Commission North Coast Rail Trail FEIR Addendum

2020

RTC

Cotoni-Coast Dairies California Coastal National Monument Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Assessment

2020

BLM

Decision Record for the California Coastal National Monument Resource Management Plan Amendment for Cotoni-Coast Dairies Subunit

2021

BLM

Regional Transportation Commission Coastal Rail Trail Segment 5 Project Fact Sheet

2021

RTC

Santa Cruz County Active Transportation Plan

2022

County of Santa Cruz

36

Chapter 2. Vision and Goals | Administrative Draft

2.3 Vision Statement and Goals 2.3.1 Vision The Santa Cruz North Coast is a recreation destination and natural resource treasure along the coastline of Santa Cruz County. The North Coast will be recognized as a unified region that is safe, accessible, and navigable by the public. Public agencies and their partners are committed to coordinating development, operations, and land management efforts at a regional level to support safe and equitable public access to open space, provide enjoyable recreation, protect natural and cultural resources throughout the North Coast, and foster an environment where public open space and facilities are compatible with adjacent, existing uses.

2.3.2 Goals The Santa Cruz North Coast land management agencies and organizations will coordinate and collaborate to achieve the following shared goals for the North Coast.

Regional Planning and Partnerships. Closely coordinate with various program and management partners and engage with stakeholders and neighbors to ensure a clear process for development, use, operations, and management of North Coast properties throughout the planning process and after implementation of the North Coast Facilities and Management Plan.

Plant and Animal Habitat Conservation and Restoration.

Preserve sensitive habitat areas to protect biological resources by avoiding development in these areas, and work to restore habitats that have been heavily impacted.

Historic, Cultural, and Archaeological Resources.

Protect and mitigate impacts to historic, cultural, and archaeological resources in consultation and collaboration with local tribes or other historical and cultural experts.

Public Safety. Increase public awareness and implement safety measures related to geologic, water, and roadway hazards so that visitors can access, use, and recreate in the North Coast safely.

Public Access and Regional Connections. Expand public access to coastal resources, while respecting the privacy of local stakeholders and landholders. This can be achieved by adding new access points, increasing parking capacity along Highway 1, expanding the regional trail network, and increasing alternative transportation options.

Stewardship, Maintenance, and Facilities. Improve the visitor experience and meet visitor demand to the North Coast by adequately providing and maintaining visitorserving facilities and amenities, clear wayfinding, and rich interpretive signage throughout the region.

Vegetation Management. Restore and protect native vegetation for long-term survival, especially by managing and eradicating non-native plant species.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

37

3. RECOMMENDED PROJECTS 3.1 Project Development Process To identify projects consistent with the vision and goals outlined in Chapter 2, a list was compiled of projects recommended by previous planning efforts and priority projects from involved agencies. Agencies reviewed the project list and indicated the status of each project and time horizon, as well as which NCFMP goals would be met by each project. The review effort resulted in a focused list of projects that are still relevant and not yet complete.

PlaceWorks reviewed the feedback from the public survey and stakeholder interviews and added several potential projects.

PlaceWorks mapped the listed projects and grouped them into zones to identify areas of overlap in project scope and necessary coordination among agencies. Involved agencies discussed the zone groupings, Project and management issues and priorities, and components of a prioritization framework at a Working Group meeting. Additional agency meetings were held to review and refine the draft project list using an internal geographic information system (GIS)-based webmap, resulting in a Draft Project List of 40 projects from 6 North Coast agencies.

38

Aerial view of Greyhound Rock Trail to Beach. Photo credit: Terry Way. The involved agencies agreed that certain projects should not be included in the project list at this time. Some projects that were initially reviewed and included in early drafts of the project list are not included in the final list because they were either already completed or no longer relevant due to changing circumstances over time.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Administrative Draft

Table 3-1. Full Project List Zone # Zone

Project Name

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Develop a bicycle camp and walk-in campground facilities. Consider alternative forms of camp facilities, such as yurts or tent cabins, with provisions to serve backpackers and touring bicyclists using the CCT and Highway 1 Pacific Coast Bike Route (PCBR).

Campground

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

1

Big Basin

Bicycle Camp

Planned 20 years

1

Big Basin

Horse Camp Upgrades

Planned 20 years

Upgrade or reconfigure the horse camp and equestrian staging facilities to improve campsites, trailer parking and vehicle circulation.

Campground

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

1

Big Basin

Visitor Experience Upgrades

Planned 20 years

Address public health and safety issues, accessibility requirements, aesthetics, interpretation, and management of visitor capacity.

Visitor Facilities

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

Big Basin

Resource Surveys and Site Plans

Planned 20 years

Conduct additional site-specific surveys, as necessary, to identify natural and cultural resource sensitivities and protective measures, and prepare site plan(s) to determine the location, size, and configuration of desired public use and park operations.

Planning

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

Big Basin

Roadside Habitat Monitoring and Protection

Planned 20 years

Protect special status plant and wildlife habitats, conduct resource surveys and monitor use along roadways and near sensitive habitats, implement resource management and protective measures to eliminate or mitigate human impacts on significant natural resources.

Habitat

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

Big Basin

Regional Overnight Multi-use Trail Loop

Potential

Multi-use trail loop that would provide several overnight camping options along the route, as well as regional connections to the California Coastal Trail and Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. Exact trail alignment has not been determined.

Trails

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

1

Big Basin

Day Use Parking and Planned Pedestrian Highway 20 years Safety

Incorporate day use parking (50 -100 spaces) distributed on either side of Highway 1 depending on resource constraints and future roadway alignment, with safe pedestrian access from the inland side of the highway to Waddell Beach.

Parking

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

1

Big Basin

Waddell Beach Parking

1

Big Basin

CCT Connections

Big Basin Redwoods SP Big Basin Redwoods SP

1

Big Basin

California State Parks California State Parks Agency TBD - California State Parks or Caltrans

1

Big Basin

1

1

1

Planned 20 years Planned 20 years

Coordinate with Caltrans to maintain and expand Waddell Beach parking facilities, as feasible, to support beach activities and ocean view parking.

Re-establish trail connections to California Coastal Trail from Big Basin Redwoods SP.

Highway Improvements

Planned 20 years

Improve highway signage and implement effective measures to slow vehicle traffic and provide early warning to motorists for approaching intersection and pedestrian crossing.

Highway

Big Basin Redwoods SP

MBSST Segment 1

On hold

Improvements include 0.87 miles of Class III on-street/road shoulder bike route, 0.19 miles unpaved native soil trail, unpaved roadway shoulder on coastal side of Highway 1, and potentially fencing.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Highway 1

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

Parking Trails

RTC

Other Agencies to Coordinate With

High Priority

Public/ Stakeholder Support

Caltrans RTC Caltrans, State Parks, CCC State Parks

Yes

39

Table 3-1. Full Project List Zone # Zone

2

Greyhound Rock

2

Greyhound Rock; Scott Creek

Project Name

Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations

MBSST Segment 2

Project Type

Status

Project Description

Potential

Proposed uses include trail development (California Coastal Trail), overnight cabins, discovery center, dining hall and kitchen. Existing uses include: fishing access, picnic tables, beach access, coastal overlook, RV camping.

Visitor Facilities

On hold

4.77 miles of primarily existing road shoulder improvements due to limited available space and adjacent public land on the coastal side of Highway 1, routine road edge clearing, signs, and shoulder pavement striping, and potentially fencing.

Trails

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies to Coordinate With

Greyhound Rock Agency TBD County Park

Yes

North Coast Rail Trail/Highway 1

RTC

State Parks

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Planned 10 years

Scott Creek Bridge replacement and lagoon restoration with future north and south parking lots.

Highway 1 and Infrastructure, Scott Creek Conservation Beach

Caltrans

Scott Creek

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach

Potential

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach - added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be challenging due to sea level rise.

Visitor Facilities

Scott Creek Beach

Agency TBD - County of Santa Cruz or Caltrans

County of Santa Cruz, RTC, or Caltrans

3

Scott Creek

MBSST Segment 3

On hold

1.11 miles (5,870 linear feet) multi-use paved path (Class I), one preengineered bike/pedestrian bridge, 150-foot span, and fencing may be considered when project is implemented.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail

RTC

State Parks

4

Davenport

RMZ #1 Phase 1

Underway/ Imminent

Molino Bank Loop – Hike, Bike Trail

Trails

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

CCC, County Public Works

4

Davenport

RMZ #1 Phase 2

Planned 10 years

Agua Puerca Loops and Warnella Loops – Hike, Bike Trail

Trails

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

CCC, County Public Works

BLM

CCC, Office of Historic Preservation, National Parks Service, State Parks

Scott Creek

Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project

3

4

Davenport

40

Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration

Planned 5 years

Preserve and restore the Mocettini Cheese Barn and the other historic features nearby.

Historic Preservation

Public/ Stakeholder Support

CDFW, State Parks, Caltrans, Coastal Yes Conservancy, CCC, County of Santa Cruz

RTC, RCD, CDFW, County of Santa Cruz, Wildlife Conservation Board, Coastal Conservancy, USFWS Coastal Program, and NOAA Fisheries

3

High Priority

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Yes

Yes

Yes

Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

Table 3-1. Full Project List Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies to Coordinate With

High Priority

Public/ Stakeholder Support

Davenport

Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path

Potential

Class I multi-use path on inland side of Cement Plant Road from Warnella Road to Highway 1 and continuing along inland side of Highway 1 from Cement Plant Road to Ocean Street to connect Cotoni-Coast Dairies' parking lot to Davenport and North Coast Rail Trail.

Trails

CEMEX Property, Davenport, and Highway 1

County of Santa Cruz

Caltrans, RTC, and BLM

Yes

Yes

Davenport

Parking for Northern Trailhead

Planned 5 years

Parking (47-69 spaces) near Warnella Road and Cement Plant Road exact location TBD

Parking

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

Yes

Yes

On hold

1.38 miles multi-use rail trail (Class I), 1.41 miles bluff trail (Segment 4A), 0.85 miles on-street bike lanes (Segment 4B), a Highway 1 crossing at Davenport Landing Road, a rail crossing in front of cement plant property, 3 road crossings, and potentially fencing.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

CCC, Santa Cruz County, County Public Works, Caltrans

RTC

State Parks, Santa Cruz County

Rail

Coastal Rail Trail Segment 6

RTC,City of Santa Cruz, and County of Santa Cruz

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

Zone # Zone

4

4

Project Name

4

Davenport

MBSST Segment 4

4-9

Davenport; Shark Fin Cove; Yellowbank/ Excursion Train Panther Beach; Laguna Creek; Four Mile Beach; Wilder Ranch

4-9

Davenport; Shark Fin Cove; Yellowbank/ Panther Beach; Laguna Creek; Four Mile Beach; Wilder Ranch

North Coast Rail Trail/ MBSST Segment 5 - Phases I and II (California Coastal Trail)

5

Potential depending Excursion train to run along the Union Pacific Railroad from Davenport to on railroad Santa Cruz. operator interest.

Underway/ Imminent

7.5-mile continuous paved ADA accessible bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting Wilder Ranch to Davenport. Safety and mobility improvements adjacent to Highway 1 with the addition of two new parking lots and restrooms (one at Davenport and one at Yellowbank/Panther), and an atgrade pedestrian crossing of Highway 1 in Davenport.

Shark Fin Cove

Parking at Shark Fin Cove

Potential

Add formalized parking at Shark Fin Cove (requested by public in NCFMP online survey)

Parking

Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

5

Shark Fin Cove

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove

Potential

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove - added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be a challenging location

Visitor Facilities

Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

RMZ #3 Phase 2

Planned 10 years

Cotoni Trail 02 - Hike, Horse Trail

Trails

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

RMZ #3 Phase 1

Planned 5 years

Cotoni Trail 01 - Hike, Horse Trail; Yellowbank Connection; Yellowbank N Loop - Hike, Horse Trail; Yellowbank S Loop - Hike, Bike, Horse Trail

Trails

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

RTC

Yes

Yes

FHWA-CFL, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz Caltrans, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, RTC Caltrans, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, RTC

BLM

CCC, State Parks, RTC

BLM

CCC, State Parks, RTC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

41

Table 3-1. Full Project List Zone # Zone

Agency

Other Agencies to Coordinate With

High Priority

Public/ Stakeholder Support

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

RTC

FHWA-CFL, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, BLM

Yes

Yes

Public access improvement to Panther Beach from the top of the bluff

Trails

Panther Beach

State Parks

State Parks

Yes

Yes

Potential

Build restroom with potable water at Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Infrastructure

Panther Beach

TPL

Yes

Planned 20 years

Highway 1 turning lanes and bus stop; parking lot with guard rail, fee boxes, and relocation of electrical poles; concrete stairs with handrail; trash cans; vault toilets; beach clean-up; emergency telephone; signs; and coastal scrub revegetation.

Visitor Facilities

Yellowbank Beach

State Parks

Yes

Potential

Development of trailhead parking lot for up to 77 spaces, 3 ADA spaces, and 5 pull-through equestrian trailer spaces put forth by TPL and FONC to provide southern access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies.

Parking

TPL property near Yellowbank Beach

TPL

Add paved shoulders for turning onto Laguna Creek Road to parking lot, pedestrian safety improvements, visitor amenities (i.e., trash, vault toilets, signs), widen access trail section between railroad track and highway, grading, wetland and nesting area preservation. Restoration of historic buildings.

Highway

Laguna Creek Beach

State Parks

Project Type

Property Name

Pedestrian overcrossing of Highway 1 at Yellowbank/Panther parking lot to connect to Cotoni-Coast Dairies trailhead.

Planned 5 years

Project Name

Status

Project Description

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

North Coast Rail Trail/ MBSST Segment 5 - Phase III (California Coastal Trail)

Underway/ Imminent

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

Panther Beach Access Improvements

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

Restroom at C-CD Parking Lot

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

6

Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

Yellowbank Beach Access Improvements and Restoration Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

Yes

7

Laguna Creek

Laguna Creek Beach Planned (GP: Access and 20 years Preserve)

7

Laguna Creek

Laguna Creek Beach Planned Marsh Preservation 20 years

Beach clean-up, marsh/snowy plover preservation

Habitat Preservation

Laguna Creek Beach

State Parks

8

Four Mile Beach

Four Mile Beach Parking Lot

Planned 20 years

Parking lot at Four Mile Beach

Parking

Four Mile Beach

State Parks

Yes

Yes

8

Four Mile Beach

Restroom at Four Mile Beach

Potential

Restroom at Four Mile Beach - added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be a challenging location

Visitor Facilities

Four Mile Beach

State Parks

Yes

Yes

9

Wilder Ranch

Old Cove Landing Trail Accessibility Improvements

Planned 10 years

Make the Old Cove Landing trail at Wilder ADA accessible.

Trails

Wilder Ranch State Park

State Parks

Yes

Yes

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Table 3-1. Full Project List Zone # Zone

9

9

Wilder Ranch

Wilder Ranch

Project Name

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Wilder Ranch Cultural Preserve

Planned 20 years

Wilder Ranch Complex renovate Bolcoff Adobe and Grainery

Cultural Preserve

Wilder Ranch State Park

State Parks

MBSST Segment 6

On hold Alternate route provided on Caltrans Multi-use Trail along Highway 1

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

RTC

1.49 miles (7,830 linear feet) - Wilder Ranch trailhead to Moore Creek

The CEMEX Redevelopment project is currently on hold and is a privately owned property. While a Coastal Reuse Plan has been produced for the site, a preferred alternative has been selected, and several nonprofits and government agencies are interested in opportunities on the site. However, the land is still entirely privately held, only environmental cleanup has been continued, and no funding for the required environmental impact report (EIR) and local coastal program (LCP) amendments nor implementation have been pursued. Thus, it falls outside the scope of the NCFMP. The full project list at the completion of the NCFMP is shown in Table 3-1.

3.2 Projects By Zone

Other Agencies to Coordinate With

High Priority

Public/ Stakeholder Support

Yes

City of Santa Cruz

Projects that exist in more than one zone are shown and labeled on all maps, but are included only once in a project list accompanying each zone. More information on these projects may be found in nearby zones. Existing infrastructure is shown on each map.

Projects referred to as “planned” or “proposed” have the support and leadership of one or more agencies and are included in agency planning. Projects referred to as “potential” have been suggested by the public , consultant, or participating agency during the NCFMP process. Some of the potential projectshave been determined by the Working Group to be high priority because they fill needed gaps and are feasible to pursue, though most do not yet have a lead agency who will manage planning and implementation.

Recommendations for continuing development of “potential” projects are included in Chapter 4.

In this section, projects are discussed by zone in approximate north-to-south order. Details about each project are captured in a table and the dominant conditions and needs are discussed.

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3.2.1 Zone 1. Big Basin While Zone 1 is more developed and able to accommodate visitors than many parts of the North Coast, the popularity of these resources and the pressure on them results in other development needs.

yurts or tent cabins. Roadside Habitat Monitoring and Protection will protect special-status plant and wildlife habitats from increased visitor use by eliminating or mitigating human impacts on significant natural resources. Visitor Experience Upgrades will address public health and safety issues, accessibility requirements, aesthetics, interpretation, and management of interpretation facilities and visitor amenities. The Regional Overnight Multi-use Trail Loop is a potential trail project that would provide overnight camping options and regional connections to the California Coastal Trail and Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail.

Along Highway 1, several projects are proposed in Zone 1 (see Figure 3-2 and Table 3-2). Waddell Beach Parking would support beach activities and ocean view parking by expanding parking facilities at a popular beach. The Day Use Parking and Pedestrian Highway Safety project would expand parking facilities on both sides of the highway and provide pedestrian crossing infrastructure from the inland parking areas to the beach, where no crossing infrastructure Figure 3-1. Zone 1: Big Basin Highway Area currently exists. The CCT Connections project would re-establish trail connections to the California Coastal Trail from Big Basin Waddell Beach Redwoods State Park, improving hiking options and pedestrian Day Use Parking Parking and Pedestrian infrastructure in Zone 1. The Highway Improvements project would Highway Safety improve navigation and safety for vehicles and pedestrians at the busy intersections with State Parks roads. The MBSST Segment 1 would improve the on-road bike route in Zone 1.

Inland, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park’s Rancho del Oso area, additional projects are proposed to improve the visitor experience and protect landscapes and habitat. The Resource Surveys and Site Plans project is a step in preparing for responsible development in the park by identifying natural and cultural resource sensitivities and protective measures, then determining how desired public use and park operations can fit in. The Horse Camp Upgrades project and Bicycle Camp project will provide additional accommodation to targeted user groups and may include camping alternatives like

44

CCT Connections Highway Improvements

Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

Figure 3-2. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 1: Big Basin

Bicycle Camp

C

Visitor Experience Upgrades

ab

ri llo

1

Hw

y

Parking Facilities

Day Use Parking and Pedestrian Highway Safety

Informal Parking Facilities Restrooms State Parks Campgrounds

Rd

Waddell Beach Parking

yon

EXISTING AMENITIES

Horse Camp Upgrades

C an

LEGEND

Resource Surveys and Site Plans

Roadside Habitat Monitoring and Protection

See Figure 3-1 for Inset

Park Office Visitor Center EXISTING ROUTES

CCT Connections

California State Parks Road California Coastal Trail (informal) State Park Trails PROPOSED PROJECTS California State Parks Agency TBD - California State Parks or Caltrans PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS Open Access

Beginning of MBSST Segment 2

Highway Improvements Terminus of MBSST Segment 1

Waddell Creek Beach-Rancho del Oso

0’

250’

500’

750’

1000’

N

Table 3-2. Zone 1. Big Basin Project List Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

Bicycle Camp

Planned 20 years

Develop a bicycle camp and walk-in campground facilities. Consider alternative forms of camp facilities, such as yurts or tent cabins, with provisions to serve backpackers and touring bicyclists using the CCT and Highway 1 Pacific Coast Bike Route (PCBR).

Campground

Big Basin Redwoods State Park (SP)

California State Parks

—

Horse Camp Upgrades

Planned 20 years

Upgrade or reconfigure the horse camp and equestrian staging facilities to improve campsites, trailer parking, and vehicle circulation.

Campground

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

—

Visitor Experience Upgrades

Planned 20 years

Address public health and safety issues, accessibility requirements, aesthetics, interpretation, and management of visitor capacity.

Visitor facilities

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

—

Resource Surveys and Site Plans

Planned 20 years

Conduct additional site-specific surveys, as necessary, to identify natural and cultural resource sensitivities and protective measures, and prepare site plan(s) to determine the location, size, and configuration of desired public use and park operations.

Planning

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

—

Roadside Habitat Monitoring and Protection

Planned 20 years

Protect special-status plant and wildlife habitats, conduct resource surveys, and monitor use along roadways and near sensitive habitats, implement resource management and protective measures to eliminate or mitigate human impacts on significant natural resources.

Habitat

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

—

Regional Overnight Multi-use Trail Loop

Potential

Multi-use trail loop that would provide several overnight camping options along the route, as well as regional connections to the California Coastal Trail and Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. Exact trail alignment has not been determined.

Trails

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

—

Day Use Parking and Pedestrian Highway Safety

Planned 20 years

Incorporate day-use parking (50-100 spaces) distributed on either side of Highway 1 depending on resource constraints and future roadway alignment, with safe pedestrian access from the inland side of the highway to Waddell Beach.

Parking

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

—

Waddell Beach Parking

Planned 20 years

Coordinate with Caltrans to maintain and expand Waddell Beach parking facilities, as feasible, to support beach activities and ocean view parking.

Parking

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

Caltrans

CCT Connections

Planned 20 years

Re-establish trail connections to California Coastal Trail from Big Basin Redwoods SP.

Trails

Big Basin Redwoods SP

California State Parks

RTC

Highway Improvements

Planned 20 years

Improve highway signage and implement effective measures to slow vehicle traffic and provide early warning to motorists for approaching intersection and pedestrian crossing.

Highway

Big Basin Redwoods SP

Agency TBD California State Parks or Caltrans

Caltrans, State Parks, CCC

On hold

Improvements include 0.87 miles of Class III on-street/road shoulder bike route, 0.19 miles unpaved native soil trail, unpaved roadway shoulder on coastal side of Highway 1, and potentially fencing.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Highway 1

RTC

State Parks

Project Name

MBSST Segment 1

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: BLM = Bureau of Land Management, Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, CCC = California Coastal Commission, Land Trust = Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, TBD = To be determined, TPL = Trust for Public Land.

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Placeholder (Big Basin or Waddell) Photo credit: Placeholder.

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3.2.2 Zone 2. Greyhound Rock As the only developed publicly accessible area in Zone 2, Greyhound Rock Coastal Access currently provides parking, restrooms, trash facilities, and coastal access. Existing uses are for fishing, picnicking, beach access, vista points, and self-contained limitedstay recreational vehicle (RV) camping. The proposed Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations project would construct trails, overnight cabins, a discovery center, and a dining hall with kitchen.

This project would relieve pressure on Big Basin Redwoods State Park for interpretation and accommodation in the northern part

of the North Coast, while providing an alternative to tent camping available at Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

The MBSST Segment 2 would improve the on-road bike route in Zones 1 through 3. Zone 2 is shown on Figure 3-3 and area projects are listed in Table 3-3.

Table 3-3. Zone 2. Greyhound Rock Project List

Project Name

Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations

MBSST Segment 2

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Potential

Proposed uses include trail development (California Coastal Trail), overnight cabins, discovery center, dining hall, and kitchen. Existing uses include fishing access, picnic tables, beach access, coastal overlook, RV camping.

Visitor Facilities

On hold

4.77 miles of primarily existing road shoulder improvements due to limited available space and adjacent public land on the coastal side of Highway 1, routine road edge clearing, signs, and shoulder pavement striping, and potentially fencing.

Trails

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

Greyhound Rock County Park

Agency TBD

CDFW, State Parks, Caltrans, Coastal Conservancy, CCC, County of Santa Cruz

North Coast Rail Trail/ Highway 1

RTC

State Parks

Property Name

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023.

Notes: Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, CCC = California Coastal Commission, CDFW = California Department of Fish and Wildlife, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, State Parks = California State Parks.

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Sw

an

to

n

R

d

L ast Ch

an

ce

Rd

Figure 3-3. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 2: Greyhound Rock

Swa n t o n R

d

LEGEND Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Restrooms EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California Coastal Trail (formal)

MBSST Segment 2

California Coastal Trail (informal) On-street Bike and Trail Facilities PROPOSED PROJECTS

Agency TBD - CDFW, California State Parks, Caltrans, Coastal Conservancy, CCC, County of Santa Cruz

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS

Greyhound Rock

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California Polytechnic State University Foundation California Department of Fish & Wildlife California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

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N 0’ 250’ 500’ 750’ 1000’

49

3.2.3 Zone 3. Scott Creek As there is currently some parking and beach access at Scott Creek, provision of a restroom is imperative to accommodate the basic needs of visitors and prevent the nuisances caused by a lack of restrooms. While likely difficult to implement due to sea level rise, the potential Restroom at Scott Creek Beach Project is important infrastructure for the North Coast. The restroom project may be merged with the Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project, or else implemented by County Parks. The Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project will replace the Highway 1 bridge over Scott Creek and restore the lagoon increase sea level rise resiliency, while providing expanded parking facilities, which will improve visitor access and road safety in Zone 3.

MBSST Segments 2 and 3 expand multimodal access through the North Coast. Segment 2 is primarily existing road shoulder improvements on Highway 1 along the coastal side to designate bicycling and pedestrian areas, while Segment 3 begins a separated multi-use paved path that includes a bridge over Scott Creek. See Figure 3-4 for a map of Zone 3. Table 3-4 lists projects in the area.

Notes for Table 3.4 Zone 3. Scott Creek Project List Source: PlaceWorks, 2023.

Notes: Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, CDFW = California Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, RCD = Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, State Parks = California State Parks, TBD = To be determined.

Table 3-4. Zone 3. Scott Creek Project List

Project Name

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

Planned - 10 years

Scott Creek Bridge replacement and lagoon restoration with future north and south parking lots.

Infrastructure, Conservation

Highway 1 and Scott Creek Beach

Caltrans

RTC, RCD, CDFW, County of Santa Cruz, Wildlife Conservation Board, Coastal Conservancy, USFWS Coastal Program, and NOAA Fisheries

Potential

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach, added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be challenging due to sea level rise.

Visitor Facilities

Scott Creek Beach

Agency TBD County of Santa Cruz

County of Santa Cruz, RTC, or Caltrans

1.11 miles (5,870 linear feet) multi-use paved path (Class I), one pre-engineered bike/pedestrian bridge, 150-foot span, and fencing may be considered when project is implemented.

On hold

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail

RTC

State Parks

Status

Project Description

Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach

MBSST Segment 3

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Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

Figure 3-4. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 3: Scott Creek

Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project

LEGEND

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities

RMZ #1 Phase 1

EXISTING ROUTES

(BLM) Trails California Coastal Trail (informal) State Parks Roads PROPOSED PROJECTS CA Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Agency TBD - County of Santa Cruz or RTC PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Terminus of MBSST Segment 2 Scott Creek Beach

Scott Creek Marsh

Beginning of MBSST Segment 3

Swanton R

Bureau of Land Management

d

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities

Moli n o Creek

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management California Polytechnic State University Foundation Santa Cruz County California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

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N 0’ 250’ 500’ 750’ 1000’

51

3.2.4 Zone 4. Davenport Projects proposed in Zone 4 are chiefly on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and focus on creating infrastructure to enable public access to designated portions of Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. Trail construction in recreation management zone (RMZ) #1 consists of an underway Phase 1 and planned Phase 2, both of which will increase hiking and biking trails on the North Coast. Access to the new trails will be centralized, and facilities will be developed to serve the trailhead, such as the Parking for Northern Trailhead project and nearby Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration project, which may include interpretive and educational opportunities to further connect visitors to the National Monument and the history of the land.

The North Coast Rail Trail begins in Zone 4 will provide parking in the community of Davenport, as well as restrooms, bike racks, benches, and concrete crossings, in addition to the ongoing connection of the trail itself which runs 7.5 miles from Davenport to Wilder Ranch State Park. These amenities will address some of the needs identified in the NCFMP process for more facilities at popular and challenging Davenport Beach and Bluffs.

Additional potential connections between features and facilities in Zone 4 include the Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path project, MBSST Segment 4 project, and Excursion Train project, each of which would provide alternative transportation in a hard-toserve corridor and connect the main part of Davenport with carfree access to additional beaches and trails, as well as connecting Newtown to Davenport. Given the underway North Coast Rail Trail,

52

coordination between projects to avoid duplicative efforts and ensure maximum public benefit is crucial in this area. See Figure 3-6 for a map of Zone 4 and Figure 3-5 for a map inset showing projects in Davenport. Area projects are listed in Table 3-5 and the North Coast Rail Trail is featured on page 55.

Figure 3-5. Zone 4: Davenport Focus Area

Davenport Beginning of MBSST Segment 5

Northern Terminus of Excursion Train

Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

n

Benches Sa

Restrooms Parking

Figure 3-6. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 4: Davenport

Highway 1 Improvements PROPOSED PROJECTS

RMZ #1 Phase 2

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) l

la

W

a

e rn

R

d

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

RMZ #1 Phase 1

County of Santa Cruz NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management Private

Davenport Landing Beach

Santa Cruz County California State Parks

Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration

PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

Parking for Northern Trailhead

New Town te S en

LEGEND

t

Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path

EXISTING AMENITIES

Sa

Trash Facilities Parking Facilities

n

Vi

c

Terminus of MBSST Segment 4

Restroom Informal Parking EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Roads On-street Bike and Trail Facilities

Beginning of MBSST Segment 5

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Trails California Coastal Trails (informal)

See Figure 3-5 for Inset

NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL/MBSST SEGMENT 5 - PHASES I AND II (CALIFORNIA COASTAL TRAIL)

Benches Parking Highway 1 Improvements PROPOSED PROJECTS

Davenport Beach / San Vicente Beach

Rd

Restrooms

O

N

Co a s t

Bike Racks

Northern Terminus of Excursion Train

Davenport

ld

North Coast Rail Trail Concrete Crossings

0’

500’ 250’

750’

1000’

Table 3-5. Zone 4. Davenport Project List Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

RMZ #1 Phase 1

Underway/Imminent

Molino Bank Loop – Hike, Bike Trail

Trails

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

CCC, County Public Works

RMZ #1 Phase 2

Planned - 10 years

Agua Puerca Loops and Warnella Loops – Hike, Bike Trail

Trails

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

CCC, County Public Works

Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration

Planned - 5 years

Preserve and restore the Mocettini Cheese Barn and the other historic features nearby.

Historic Preservation

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

CCC, Office of Historic Preservation, National Parks Service, State Parks

Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path

Potential

Class I multi-use path on inland side of Cement Plant Road from Warnella Road to Highway 1 and continuing along inland side of Highway 1 from Cement Plant Road to Ocean Street to connect Cotoni-Coast Dairies’ parking lot to Davenport and North Coast Rail Trail.

Trails

CEMEX Property, Davenport, and Highway 1

County of Santa Cruz

Caltrans, RTC, and BLM

Parking for Northern Trailhead

Planned - 5 years

Parking (47-69 spaces) near Warnella Road and Cement Plant Road - exact location TBD

Parking

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

BLM

CCC, Santa Cruz County, County Public Works, Caltrans

MBSST Segment 4

On hold

1.38 miles multi-use rail trail (Class I), 1.41 miles bluff trail (Segment 4A), 0.85 miles on-street bike lanes (Segment 4B), a Highway 1 crossing at Davenport Landing Road, a rail crossing in front of cement plant property, 3 road crossings, and potentially fencing.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/ Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

RTC

State Parks, Santa Cruz County

Potential, depending on railroad operator interest

Excursion train to run along the Union Pacific Railroad from Davenport to Santa Cruz.

Rail

Coastal Rail Trail Segment 6

RTC, City of Santa Cruz, and County of Santa Cruz

—

Project Name

Excursion Train

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: BLM = Bureau of Land Management, Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, CCC = California Coastal Commission, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, State Parks = California State Parks, TBD = To be determined.

Table 3-6. Zone 5. Shark Fin Cove Project List Project Name

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

North Coast Rail Trail/ MBSST Segment 5 - Phases I and II (California Coastal Trail)

Underway/ Imminent

7.5-mile continuous paved ADA-accessible bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting Wilder Ranch to Davenport. Safety and mobility improvements adjacent to Highway 1 with the addition of two new parking lots and restrooms (one at Davenport and one at Yellowbank/Panther), and an at-grade pedestrian crossing of Highway 1 in Davenport.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

RTC

FHWA-CFL, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz

Parking at Shark Fin Cove

Potential

Add formalized parking at Shark Fin Cove (requested by public in NCFMP online survey)

Parking

Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Caltrans, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, RTC

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove

Potential

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove - added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be a challenging location.

Visitor Facilities

Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Caltrans, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, RTC

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, FHWA-CFL = Federal Highway Administration Central Federal Lands, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, State Parks = California State Parks, TBD = To be determined. .

The North Coast Rail Trail Project is a 7.5-mile multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail proposed to extend along the railroad corridor from Wilder Ranch State Park in the south to Davenport in the north in unincorporated Santa Cruz County. The project comprises the majority of Segment 5 of the larger Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail (MBSST) Network.

The North Coast Rail Trail is divided into three phases. Phase I covers 5.4 miles from Wilder Ranch to Panther/Yellowbank Beach. Phase II spans 2.1 miles from Panther/Yellowbank Beach to Davenport and includes new parking lots and restrooms in Davenport and at Panther/Yellowbank Beach, improved access to the parking lot at Bonny Doon Beach, and a pedestrian crossing of Highway 1 in Davenport. Phase III includes construction of the Cotoni Coast Dairies Highway 1 overpass that connects the Coastal Rail Trail on the coastal side of Highway 1 to Cotoni Coast Dairies National Monument on the inland side of Highway 1.

The North Coast Rail Trail Project Phases I-III is fully funded.

Phase I and Phase II final design and permitting are scheduled to be complete in 2023 and construction funding is programmed for 2024. Phase III is scheduled to complete environmental review in 2024, design in 2025, and begin construction in 2027.

Source: https://sccrtc.org/projects/multi-modal/monterey-bay-sanctuary-scenic-trail/northcoast-rail-trail/

Placeholder (Yellowbank) Photo credit: Placeholder.

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3.2.5 Zone 5. Shark Fin Cove To connect Davenport to Santa Cruz and residents of both to beaches and trails along the way, North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 – Phases I and II will provide continuous, paved Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible bicycle and pedestrian trail, as well as parking lots and pedestrian crossing infrastructure in Zones 4 and 6. The potential Excursion Train continues through Zone 5 en route to Santa Cruz; stops have not yet been identified.

The public has called for improved parking and provision of a restroom at Shark Fin Cove. As in previous zones, where there is beach access, it is prudent to provide restrooms to prevent unwanted urination and defecation around trails and parking lots as well as parking lots with safer ingress and egress to Highway 1. An agency to implement the potential restroom and parking projects has yet to be identified. At Bonny Doon Beach, the North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 – Phases I and II, which is under development, will include the trail, bike racks, benches, and concrete crossings where needed. See Figure 3-7 for a map of Zone 5 and Table 3-6 for a list of projects in the area.

56

Placeholder (Shark Fin Cove). Photo credit: Placeholder.

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Rd

y

oon

Rd

LEGEND

Figure 3-7. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 5: Shark Fin Cove

Bonny D

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities

EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road We s t L i d d e l l C ree k

California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities

Parking at Shark Fin Cove

California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove

LEGEND

North Coast Rail Trail

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities

Concrete Crossings

Parking Facilities

Bike Racks

Informal Parking Facilities

Benches

Shark Fin Cove

NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

B

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

North Coast Rail Trail

Lidde l l Cr e e k

Concrete Crossings Bike Racks Benches Restrooms PROPOSED PROJECTS

n

o Agency TBD - California State Parks, County Do y of Santa Cruz, oor n n RTC

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities California Coastal Trail (informal)

R

PROPOSED PROJECTS

California State Park Trails

d

Restrooms

EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

California Coastal National Monument

MBSST Segment 5 NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS

Bureau of Land Management

Agency TBD - California State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, or RTC

Private California State Parks

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS

PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

No Public Access

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

Excursion Train Open Access

NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management Private California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS No Public Access Open Access

Bonny Doon Beach

RMZ #3 Phase 1 0’

250’

500’

N 750’

1000’

3.2.6 Zone 6. Yellowbank-Panther Beach Projects proposed in Zone 6 include several on BLM land on the inland side of the highway focused on creating infrastructure to enable public access to designated portions of Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. Trail construction in RMZ #3 consists of two planned phases, the first of which will increase hiking, biking, and equestrian trails on the North Coast while the second focuses exclusively on equestrian trails. Access to the new trails will be centralized, and connected by the North Coast Rail/Trail/ MBSST Segment 5 - Phase III overcrossing of Highway 1. Facilities will be developed to serve the trailhead, such as the Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument project and possibly the Restroom at C-CD Parking Lot project, which would include a restroom.

The North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 - Phases I and II in Zone 6 will provide the trail, benches, bike racks, restrooms, parking, and concrete crossings. Some of the amenities provided by the North Coast Rail Trail are also described in the Yellowbank Beach Access Improvements and Restoration project, and this project may need an adjusted scope to reflect the amenities that will be built by the North Coast Rail Trail. The potential Excursion Train continues through Zone 6 en route to Santa Cruz; stops have not yet been identified. See Figure 3-8 for a map of Zone 6 and Table 3-7 for a list of projects in the area.

The planned North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 - Phase III (California Coastal Trail) will provide vital pedestrian infrastructure to ensure safe crossing options at this already-busy nexus. As projects are completed, this zone will see an increase in highway ingress and egress as well as parking activity, all of which can create vehicle to vehicle conflict zones and pose safety hazards to pedestrians. The turning lane and formalized parking lot entrance will mitigate vehicle hazards.

Adjacent but separate facilities will focus on the coastal side and include Panther Beach Access Improvements, and Yellowbank Beach Access Improvements and Restoration, to improve beach access, safety, and protect habitat, and will include signage.

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Figure 3-8. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 6: Yellowbank-Panther Beach

RMZ #3 Phase 2 (not shown) Panther Beach Access Improvements Potable Water Supply to Panther Beach or C-CD Parking Lot NCRT Phase III Overcrossing

Panther Beach

LEGEND

RMZ # 3 Phase 1

Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies

EXISTING AMENITIES Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California State Park Trails

Yellowbank Beach Access Improvements and Restoration

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities

Excursion Train

California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

Yellowbank Beach

North Coast Rail Trail Highway 1 Improvements Concrete Crossings Bike Racks Benches Restrooms Parking PROPOSED PROJECTS California State Parks

MBSST Segment 5

Trust for Public Land PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

N

NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS Bureau of Land Management California StateFacilities Parks North Coast Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

0’

250’

500’

750’

1000’

59

Table 3-7. Zone 6. Yellowbank-Panther Beach Project List Status

Project Description

Project Type

RMZ 3 Phase 2

Planned - 10 years

Cotoni Trail 02 - Hike, Horse Trail

Trails

RMZ 3 Phase 1

Planned - 5 years

Cotoni Trail - Hike, Horse Trail; Yellowbank Connection; Yellowbank N Loop - Hike, Horse Trail; Yellowbank S Loop - Hike, Bike, Horse Trail

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/ MBSST Segment 5 - Phase III (California Coastal Trail)

Underway/ Imminent

Pedestrian overcrossing of Highway 1 at Yellowbank/Panther parking lot to connect to Cotoni-Coast Dairies trailhead.

Trails

Panther Beach Access Improvements

Planned - 5 years

Public access improvement to Panther Beach from the top of the bluff.

Restroom at C-CD Parking Lot

Potential

Yellowbank Beach Access Improvements and Restoration Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Project Name

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

BLM

CCC, State Parks, RTC

BLM

CCC, State Parks, RTC

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

RTC

FHWA-CFL, State Parks, County of Santa Cruz, BLM

Trails

Panther Beach

State Parks

State Parks

Build restroom with potable water at Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Infrastructure

Panther Beach

TPL

---

Planned - 20 years

Highway 1 turning lanes and bus stop; parking lot with guard rail, fee boxes, and relocation of electrical poles; concrete stairs with handrail; trash cans; vault toilets; beach clean-up; emergency telephone; signs; and coastal scrub revegetation.

Visitor Facilities

Yellowbank Beach

State Parks

---

Potential

Development of trailhead parking lot for up to 77 spaces, 3 ADA spaces, and 5 pull-through equestrian trailer spaces put forth by TPL and FONC to provide southern access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies.

Parking

TPL property near Yellowbank Trailhead

TPL

BLM

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: BLM = Bureau of Land Management, Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, CCC = California Coastal Commission, FHWA-CFL = Federal Highway Administration Central Federal Lands, FONC = Friends of the North Coast, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, State Parks = California State Parks, TBD = To be determined, TPL = Trust for Public Land.

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Placeholder Photo credit: Placeholder.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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3.2.7 Zone 7. Laguna Creek As no restrooms or trash receptacles are currently available in Zone 7, the proposed Laguna Creek Beach improvements would provide important visitor infrastructure for the three beaches in this zone. Improvements would include paved turnings from Highway 1 to Laguna Road and the existing parking area, pedestrian crossing facilities to access the coast side of the highway, restrooms, trash receptacles, signage, historic building restoration, and wetland and nesting area preservation. An additional project, Laguna Creek Beach Marsh Preservation, would focus on beach cleanup and marsh preservation to improve habitat for the snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus), which is listed as a threatened species by the federal Endangered Species Act.

Placeholder (Laguna Creek). Photo credit: Terry Way.

The North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 - Phases I and II in Zone 7 includes the off-street trail with a set of bike racks and benches near Laguna Creek Beach, a trash receptacle at the intersection with the existing trail to the beach, and concrete

crossings of State Parks roads and Scaroni Road. The potential Excursion Train continues through Zone 7 en route to Santa Cruz; stops have not yet been identified. See Figure 3-9 for a map of Zone 7 and Table 3-8 for a list of projects in the area.

Table 3-8. Zone 7. Laguna Creek Project List Project Name

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

Laguna Creek Beach (GP: Access and Preserve)

Planned - 20 years

Add paved shoulders for turning onto Laguna Creek Road to parking lot, pedestrian safety improvements, visitor amenities (i.e., trash, vault toilets, signs), widen access trail section between railroad track and highway, grading, wetland and nesting area preservation. Restoration of historic buildings.

Highway

Laguna Creek Beach

State Parks

---

Laguna Creek Beach Marsh Preservation

Planned - 20 years

Beach cleanup, marsh/snowy plover preservation

Habitat Preservation

Laguna Creek Beach

State Parks

---

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: State Parks = California State Parks.

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e ek

Concrete Crossings Benches

Figure 3-9. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 7: Laguna Creek

Bike Racks PROPOSED PROJECTS California State Parks

RMZ # 3 Phase 1

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS L a gu n

L a gu na

Cre

a

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) R

Regional Transportation Ba c Ra Commission k(RTC) n

d

ek

NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS

ch

Rd

Bureau of Land Management

Laguna Creek Beach (GP: Access and Preserve)

California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS d

No Public Access

d

ck

t R

Coa

s t Rd

Excursion Train

Ma

jor

s

Cr

ee

k

Laguna Creek Beach

Laguna Creek Beach Marsh Preservation

as

Ba

Co

Ran

ch R

Open Access

LEGEND EXISTING AMENITIES Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities

MBSST Segment 5

EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

N

North Coast Rail Trail Concrete Crossings Benches Bike Racks North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

0’

250’ 500’ 750’ 1000’

63

3.2.8 Zone 8. Four Mile Beach While several options for parking exist in Zone 8, all are unpaved or quite small. The proposed Four Mile Beach Parking Lot project would upgrade the parking areas closest to Four Mile Beach, improving access to the California Coastal Trail segment that connects Highway 1 with Four Mile Beach and Three Mile Beach.

A restroom is proposed at the Four Mile Beach parking area. The North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 - Phases I and II will also provide benches, trash receptacles, and bike racks in Zone 8, along with three concrete crossings. The potential Excursion Train continues through Zone 8 en route to Santa Cruz; stops have not yet been identified. See Figure 3-10 for a map of Zone 8 and Table 3-9 for a list of projects in the area.

Placeholder (4 mile beach or 3 mile beach). Photo credit: Placeholder.

Table 3-9. Zone 8. Four Mile Beach Project List

Project Name

Four Mile Beach Parking Lot

Restroom at Four Mile Beach

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

Planned - 20 years

Parking lot at Four Mile Beach.

Parking

Four Mile Beach

State Parks

---

Potential

Restroom at Four Mile Beach - added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be a challenging location.

Visitor Facilities

Four Mile Beach

State Parks

---

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: State Parks = California State Parks.

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Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

Ln

LEGEND

e

o

Figure 3-10. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 8: Four Mile Beach

D

EXISTING AMENITIES

im

Trash Facilities Parking Facilities Informal Parking Facilities B ald

State Parks Campgrounds

win

EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road

Cree

k

LEGEND

Restroom at Four Mile Beach

California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities California Coastal Trail (existing) Dim

EXISTING AMENITIES

California Coastal Trail (informal) eo

Trash Facilities Parking Facilities

Ln

NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

Informal Parking Facilities State Parks Campgrounds EXISTING ROUTES California State Parks Road

North Coast Rail Trail Concrete Crossings

Four Mile Beach Parking Lot

Bike Racks Benches

California State Park Trails

Restrooms

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities

PROPOSED PROJECTS

California Coastal Trail (existing) California Coastal Trail (informal)

California State Parks

NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT) Four Mile

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS

Beach North Coast Rail Trail Concrete Crossings

1

Bike Racks

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS

Benches

California State Parks

Restrooms

Excursion Train

PROPOSED PROJECTS

PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS Open Access

California State Parks PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS Open Access

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

Three Mile Beach

N

MBSST Segment 5 0’

250’ 500’ 750’ 1000’

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3.2.9 Zone 9. Wilder Ranch In Zone 9, adequate parking and restrooms are available for the existing recreational facilities in Wilder Ranch State Park. Projects in this zone are mostly upgrades, such as the Old Cove Landing Trail Accessibility Improvements project, which will make an existing trail into an ADA-accessible trail along the bluffs above Old Cove Landing and Wilder Beach. The Wilder Ranch Cultural Preserve project is the renovation of Bolcoff Adobe and Grainery in the Wilder Ranch Complex, to preserve and interpret the history of the place for visitors.

The North Coast Rail Trail/MBSST Segment 5 - Phases I and II’s southern terminus will be near the Interpretive Center in Wilder Ranch, bike racks, trash and benches will be added adjacent to the existing parking lot. The MBSST Segment 6 project is proposed along the Rail line, but is on hold because an alternate route, a paved multi-use trail parallel to Highway 1, already exists. The potential Excursion Train continues through Zone 9 en route to Santa Cruz; stops have not yet been identified. See Figure 3-11 for a map of Zone 9 and Table 3-10 for a list of projects in the area.

Table 3-10. Zone 9. Wilder Ranch Project List

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Other Agencies To Coordinate With

Old Cove Landing Trail Accessibility Improvements

Planned - 10 years

Make the Old Cove Landing trail at Wilder ADA accessible.

Trails

Wilder Ranch State Park

State Parks

---

Wilder Ranch Cultural Preserve

Planned - 20 years

Wilder Ranch Complex renovate Bolcoff Adobe and Grainery

Cultural Preserve

Wilder Ranch State Park

State Parks

---

On hold - Alternate route provided on Caltrans Multi-use Trail along Highway 1

1.49 miles (7,830 linear feet) - Wilder Ranch trailhead to Moore Creek.

Trails

North Coast Rail Trail/Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line

RTC

City of Santa Cruz

Project Name

MBSST Segment 6

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: State Parks = California State Parks, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission.

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ld

M ed er C r

California State Park Trails Wi

On-street Bike and Trail Facilities Caltrans Trails

Figure 3-11. North Coast Proposed Projects - Zone 9: Wilder Ranch LEGEND

California Coastal Trail (existing) California Coastal Trail (informal)

EXISTING AMENITIES

NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

Trash Facilities Parking Facilities

North Coast Rail Trail

Informal Parking Facilities

Concrete Crossings

Restrooms

Bike Racks

EXISTING ROUTES I California State Parks Road

Benches PROPOSED PROJECTS

California State Park Trails On-street Bike and Trail Facilities

California State Parks

Caltrans Trails PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS

Me

California Coastal Trail (existing)

der

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

C r ee k

California Coastal Trail (informal) NORTH COAST RAIL TRAIL AND AMENITIES (UNDER DEVELOPMENT)

California State Parks NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS

North Coast Rail Trail Concrete Crossings

California State Parks

Bike Racks

Old Cove Landing Trail Accessibility Improvements

Benches PROPOSED PROJECTS California State Parks

Terminus of MBSST Segment 5

PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS Restricted Access Open Access

W i

Wilder Ranch Interpretive Center

r lde

PROPOSED ROUTES / PATHS / TRAILS

k

Wilder Ranch Cultural Preserve

S h a f fer Rd

NORTH COAST AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATION LANDS

ee

California State Parks

Cr

Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

Excursion Train

California State Parks PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ACCESS RESTRICTIONS

Open Access

W

ild

Shaffer Rd

Beginning of MBSST Segment 6

Restricted Access

er

C

A

ree k

Fern Grotto Beach

y

De

Old Cove Landing

Wilder Beach (no public access)

M c A l l i s t e r Wa

Sand Plant Beach

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500’ 1000’ 250’

750’

67

z on D r

0’

Ho r i

N

3.2.10 Potential Projects Potential projects have been suggested by the public, consultant, or participating agencies during the NCFMP process some of which determined by the Working Group to be high priority because they fill needed gaps and are feasible to pursue, though many do not yet have a lead agency who will manage planning and implementation. Recommendations for continuing development of potential projects are included in Chapter 4.

The projects in this section have already been mentioned in their respective zones. However, as the issues these projects address are of high concern to the public, examining them as a group and

ensuring that the needs they address are met one way or another is important for future collaborative management on the North Coast.

These projects chiefly address basic visitor amenities, such as restrooms and trash receptacles, as well as parking facilities, as these were areas of greatest difficulty identified by survey respondents during the NCFMP process, as shown in Figure 3-12.

In addition, in written comments, the most frequently mentioned issues were trash, restrooms, and parking.

Figure 3-12. Visitor Challenges 70

Percentage

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

68

Difficulty getting to the area

Difficulty navigating where to go (lack of signage and wayfinding)

Lack of parking

Lack of restrooms

Lack of trash receptacles

Lack of seating

Lack of covered picnic areas

Lack of accessibility for people with disabilities

Other

Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

Table 3-13. Potential Projects List

Status

Project Description

Project Type

Property Name

Agency

Regional Overnight Multiuse Trail Loop

Zone 1: Big Basin

Multi-use trail loop that would provide several overnight camping options along the route, as well as regional connections to the California Coastal Trail and Skyline-tothe-Sea Trail. Exact trail alignment TBD.

Trails

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

State Parks

Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations

Zone 2: Greyhound Rock

Proposed uses include trail development (California Coastal Trail), overnight cabins, discovery center, dining hall, and kitchen. Existing uses include fishing access, picnic tables, beach access, coastal overlook, RV camping.

Visitor Facilities

Greyhound Rock County Park

Agency TBD

Zone 3: Scott Creek

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be a challenging location due to sea level rise.

Visitor Facilities

Scott Creek Beach

Agency TBD County of Santa Cruz

Zone 4: Davenport

Class I multi-use path on inland side of Cement Plant Road from Warnella Road to Highway 1 and continuing along inland side of Highway 1 from Cement Plant Road to Ocean Street to connect C-CD parking lot to Davenport and North Coast Rail Trail.

Trails

CEMEX Property, Davenport, and Highway 1

County of Santa Cruz

RTC, City of Santa Cruz, and County of Santa Cruz

Project Name

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach

Cement Plant Road MultiUse Path

Zones 4-9: Davenport; Shark Fin Cove; Yellowbank/ Panther Beach; Laguna Creek; Four Mile Beach; Wilder Ranch

Excursion train to run along the Union Pacific Railroad from Davenport to Santa Cruz.

Rail

Coastal Rail Trail Segment 6

Parking at Shark Fin Cove

Zone 5: Shark Fin Cove

Add formalized parking at Shark Fin Cove (requested by public in NCFMP online survey)

Parking

Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove

Zone 5: Shark Fin Cove

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove - added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be a challenging location.

Visitor Facilities

Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Restroom at C-CD Parking Lot

Zone 6: Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

Build restroom with potable water at Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Infrastructure

Panther Beach

TPL

Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

Zone 6: Yellowbank/ Panther Beach

Development of trailhead parking lot for up to 77 spaces, 3 ADA spaces, and 5 pullthrough equestrian trailer spaces put forth by TPL and FONC to provide southern access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies.

Parking

TPL property near Yellowbank Trailhead

TPL

Zone 8: Four Mile Beach

Restroom at Four Mile Beach added due to lack of restroom in this area, may be achallenging location.

Visitor Facilities

Four Mile Beach

State Parks

Zone 9: Big Basin

Multi-use trail loop that would provide several overnight camping options along the route, as well as regional connections to the California Coastal Trail and Skyline-tothe-Sea Trail. Exact trail alignment TBD.

Trails

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

State Parks

Excursion Train

Restroom at Four Mile Beach

Regional Overnight Multiuse Trail Loop

Source: PlaceWorks, 2023. Notes: Caltrans = California Department of Transportation, FONC = Friends of the North Coast, RTC = Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, State Parks = California State Parks, TBD = To be determined, TPL = Trust for Public Land

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The potential projects identified in this section would fill in the gaps in restrooms, currently available only in Zones 1, 2, 4, and 9, with projects in Zones 3, 5, 6, and 8. See additional details listed in Table 3-13.

Parking facilities tend to be more developed at each end of the North Coast in State Parks; one potential project and a multitude of proposed projects will augment parking facilities in the middle zones.

Upgrades to parking and restrooms will increase operations and maintenance investments ivved trash management. In addition, the sum of these new facilities and the official presence to operate and maintain them will prevent many nuisance and safety issues identified throughout the NCFMP process.

3.3 Priority Projects Prioritization criteria and weighting were discussed and finalized

Davenport Landing Restroom. Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

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Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

at a Working Group meeting. A points system was agreed upon to integrate various agency priorities and result in an overall priority list. Weighting was accomplished by assigning points to each criterion. Planned time horizon is assigned points along a scale, and all other criteria are assigned on a binary basis: all points are assigned if true, and no points are awarded if false. The final prioritization criteria and weighting are shown in Table 3-14.

Table 3-14. Prioritization Criteria and Weighting

■ Planned – 5 years or underway/imminent

20 points

The points assigned to projects in the full final project list may be applied to produce priority project lists. Applying the points for all criteria results in an overall priority list. Applying points for select criteria results in priority lists that emphasize certain criteria. An overall priority list and two select priority lists are discussed in this section.

■ Planned – 10 years

15 points

■ Planned – 20 years

10 points

■ Potential

5 points

■ On hold

0 points

High-Priority Project as Indicated by Agency

20 points

Public and/or Stakeholder Support

15 points

Multiagency Coordination among North Coast Agencies Needed

10 points

Partially Funded

10 points

Meets 3 or more NCFMP Goals

5 points

Climate Resiliency Project

10 points

Public Safety Project

10 points

In Table 3-15, all weighting criteria have been applied to the project list and the list has been sorted so the highest-priority projects are at the top.

In Table 3-16, “High-Priority Project as Indicated by Agency”, “Public and/or Stakeholder Support”, and “Public Safety Project” weighting criteria have been applied to the project list and the list has been sorted so the highest-priority projects are at the top.

In Table 3-17, “Partially Funded” and “Multiagency Coordination among North Coast Agencies Needed” weighting criteria have been applied to the project list and the list has been sorted so the highest-priority projects are at the top.

Criterion

Points if True

Project Status / Planned Time Horizon

The priority project tables included in this section demonstrate prioritization results when different criteria are applied to a project list. A tool has been created for the Working Group to apply North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

71

Table 3-15. North Coast Priority Projects - All Criteria Applied

72

Project

Agency

High Priority

Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project Parking for Northern Trailhead Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations Parking at Shark Fin Cove Panther Beach Access Improvements

Caltrans BLM BLM County of Santa Cruz Agency TBD Agency TBD California State Parks

Medium Priority

Four Mile Beach Parking Lot RMZ #1 Phase 1 Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies NM MBSST Segment 3 MBSST Segment 2 MBSST Segment 1 MBSST Segment 4 Restroom at Shark Fin Cove Old Cove Landing Trail Accessibility Improvements RMZ #3 Phase 1 Restroom at Scott Creek Beach Restroom at Four Mile Beach RMZ #3 Phase 2 RMZ #1 Phase 2

California State Parks BLM Trust for Public Land RTC RTC RTC RTC Agency TBD California State Parks BLM Agency TBD - County of Santa Cruz California State Parks BLM BLM

Low Priority

Highway Improvements Wilder Ranch Cultural Preserve MBSST Segment 6 Excursion Train Yellowbank Beach Access Improvements and Restoration CCT Connections Day Use Parking and Pedestrian Highway Safety Waddell Beach Parking Restroom at C-CD Parking Lot Regional Overnight Multi-use Trail Loop Resource Surveys and Site Plans Visitor Experience Upgrades Roadside Habitat Monitoring and Protection Laguna Creek Beach Marsh Preservation Laguna Creek Beach (GP: Access and Preserve) Bicycle Camp

Agency TBD - California State Parks or Caltrans California State Parks RTC RTC California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks Trust for Public Land California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks California State Parks

Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

Table 3-16. North Coast Priority Projects – High-Priority Project as Indicated by Agency, Public and/or Stakeholder Support, and Public Safety Project

High Priority

Medium Priority

Projects Prioritized

Agency

Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path

County of Santa Cruz

Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations

Agency TBD

Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project

Caltrans

Parking at Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Four Mile Beach Parking Lot

California State Parks

Parking for Northern Trailhead

BLM

Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration

BLM

Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies NM

Trust for Public Land

Restroom at Scott Creek Beach

Agency TBD - County of Santa Cruz

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Restroom at Four Mile Beach

California State Parks

Old Cove Landing Trail Accessibility Improvements

California State Parks

Panther Beach Access Improvements

California State Parks

different sets of criteria and review the resultant priority project tables. The Working Group may use this to identify certain project types based on current agency funding availability, types of grants under consideration, and in long-term planning for the region. As the project list may change over time as new projects are added and priority projects are completed, the tool will enable updated project prioritization.

3.4 Projects Not Included The involved agencies agreed that certain projects should not be included in the project list at this time. Some projects that were

The full project list at the completion of the NCFMP with assigned points based on prioritization criteria is included as Appendix C.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

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Table 3-17. North Coast Priority Projects - Partially Funded and Multiagency Coordination among North Coast Agencies Needed

High Priority

Medium Priority

74

Projects Prioritized

Agency

Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project

Caltrans

RMZ #1 Phase 1

BLM

Parking for Northern Trailhead

BLM

Yellowbank Trailhead Parking Lot to Cotoni-Coast Dairies NM

Trust for Public Land

MBSST Segment 6

RTC

MBSST Segment 3

RTC

MBSST Segment 2

RTC

MBSST Segment 1

RTC

MBSST Segment 4

RTC

Cement Plant Road Multi-Use Path

County of Santa Cruz

Greyhound Rock Overnight Accommodations

Agency TBD

Highway Improvements

Agency TBD - California State Parks

Restroom at Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

Parking at Shark Fin Cove

Agency TBD

CCT Connections

California State Parks

Waddell Beach Parking

California State Parks

Panther Beach Access Improvements

California State Parks

RMZ #3 Phase 2

BLM

RMZ #1 Phase 2

BLM

RMZ #3 Phase 1

BLM

Historic Feature Preservation and Restoration

BLM

Chapter 3. Recommended Projects | Administrative Draft

4. IMPLEMENTATION 4.1 Coordination Framework For each project in the Plan, the first hurdle is funding the one-time capital cost of planning, designing, and building coastal access facilities, whether the approach is the enhancement or expansion of existing facilities or the creation of entirely new facilities. The process will depend on the agency that owns the land in question, their unique funding resources, and their long-range capital budgeting processes.

The second hurdle is to ensure the enhanced facilities will remain safe, appealing, and effectively operated and maintained over the long term. Economically efficient means of operating and maintaining facilities once they are in place may depend more on geographic proximity than on agency ownership, however.

Especially with routine general maintenance functions, there are economies of scale: an agency that maintains an appropriately sized maintenance staff based in a maintenance yard in relatively close proximity to North Coast facilities will be lower cost and more responsive than a land manager whose staff must travel a long distance to reach a relatively isolated location. For example, as recreation opportunities begin to be made available to the public in Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, the Bureau of

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

Land Management (BLM) may find it more logical to contract with nearby County or State Parks maintenance operations to service their new facilities. At least in the short term, this may be more economical and feasible than bringing in staff from Monterey County on a daily basis or immediately staffing up on the North Coast. Similarly, the Land Trust may find it makes little sense to build their own operations and maintenance staff to handle limited holdings.

To advance the implementation of the Plan, this chapter presents an initiative to facilitate collaboration between the managers of lands open to the public on the North Coast.

4.2 Operations and Maintenance Assumptions To serve as a tool for agency coordination, the recommended project list and prioritization tool spreadsheet provided to the Working Group includes estimates of the scale of annual budget resources that will likely be required for each project. The estimates of operations and maintenance (O&M) costs are based on several assumptions and on analysis of historical O&M cost experience of the County. The major assumption, however, is that

75

a rational staffing and travel pattern can be established with an O&M provider able to handle a geographic territory, or a series of travel circuits, where a minimal number of staff can visit multiple coastal access facilities in a single day to keep them safe, clean, and operating well. The following steps were taken to add O&M costs to the project list spreadsheet, which is included as a tool for the Working Group with the final Plan.

In the planning for the North Coast Rail Trail extension, County Parks estimated O&M costs, including an average cost per fulltime-equivalent staff (FTE) per hour for general maintenance, as well as a factor for vehicle costs, supplies, septic pumping, and other charges. The following were assumed as part of this estimation: ■ County Parks estimated an average fully burdened FTE staff cost for the mix of maintenance skills required to be $55.00 per hour.

■ County Parks’ methodology added a factor of $250 per day of visiting the County of Santa Cruz’s locations on the North Coast, which includes equipment and materials, truck expenses, cleaning supplies, paper products, garbage bags, dumpster service fees, septic pumping charges, miscellaneous tools and hardware, and other costs. For an eight-hour workday, these expenses add $31.25 per hour to the staff time costs.

■ The routine costs of O&M for visitor-serving infrastructure on a rational daily circuit can thus be projected at $86.25 per hour, or $690 per FTE day.

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An examination of the current California Civil Service Pay Scales determined that $55 per hour fully burdened cost is consistent with FTE time for State Parks Maintenance Workers I and II with time from a Park Maintenance Supervisor. It is reasonable to assume BLM or any other agency operating on the North Coast will face essentially the same costs.

Given that the same average hourly costs may be used across agencies, the methodology then relies on estimated hours required to maintain each project and frequency of service visits to arrive at total hours per year for each project on the list. General maintenance duties in each project area will include cleaning and resupplying restrooms, litter removal, trash receptacle dumping, and routine graffiti removal. The responsible agencies are currently providing emergency clean up, hazardous tree abatement, and response to homeless encampments, and other community concerns on an as-needed basis to undeveloped areas, and these random costs are assumed to be ongoing and not attributable to the development of new coastal access facilities.

An example calculation for adding restrooms, such as vault toilets at Laguna Creek Beach or Panther Beach, is: Each new staging area that includes a restroom and trash can or dumpster will add one average O&M hour per staff visit, including travel time between stops, at a frequency of 3 to 5 visits per week, which equals 208 hours per year of additional budget if calculated using the midpoint of 4 visits per week. The resulting incremental cost is $17,940 per year for a restroom and trash receptacle at a staging area.

Where the situation is primarily creating a new formal parking

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lot, such as the proposed project at Four Mile Beach, the following were assumed: Litter and trash receptacle pick up 3 to 5 times per week for a total of 208 hours per year, and $17,940 annual O&M cost. If parking fees are levied on peak days, it is assumed that the revenue collected will offset the labor cost of staffing a kiosk or maintaining and servicing an automated collection system.

For each project that is adding a significant new trail, such as the Molino Bank Loop or the Hike, Horse Trail at Yellowbank, the following were assumed: 4-person trail maintenance crew, averaging a 40-hour week per year, or 160 hours and $13,800 per year.

County Parks has already estimated costs per mile for O&M along the North Coast Rail Trail, and those costs have been included in the project list for those projects.

4.3 Next Steps The following section describes actions that can be taken in the near future to maintain the momentum created by the NCFMP process.

4.3.1 Continue the Working Group Quarterly meetings of the Working Group, convened by County Parks, will create ongoing opportunities for coordination about the projects identified in this Plan and other projects and needs that may arise along the North Coast. The Working Group should continue to seek ways to fill gaps in needs while fulfilling agency mandates. Working Group coordination has the potential to reduce duplication in work, share the burden of seeking grant funding, and maintain a go-to body for public outreach, which will ease the difficulties and increase the cohesion of efforts to implement new projects on the North Coast. Working Group coordination will be crucial for implementing the O&M framework. Quarterly meetings will sustain the coordination initiated during the development of the NCFMP. These meetings may be held virtually, though an in-person meeting every one to two years is recommended for updating visioning and priorities.

4.3.2 Use the Map

Bonny Doon. Photo credit: Noel Bock.

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

The webmap developed for the NCFMP process may continue to serve individual projects and overall coordination efforts for the North Coast. Ownership will be transferred to County Parks, and through continued meeting of the Working Group, coordination of

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maps and agency websites. This alone may help address some of the issues identified during the Plan process.

4.3.3 Use the Prioritization Tool The prioritization tool created for the NCFMP will continue to be a useful tool as the Working Group can apply different sets of criteria and review the resultant priority project tables. The Working Group may use this to identify certain project types based on current agency funding availability, types of grants under consideration, and in long-term planning. As the project list changes over time with the addition of new projects and completion of priority projects, the tool will enable updated project prioritization.

Greyhound Rock. Trail to Beach. Photo credit: Terry Way. use and customization of the map and interactivity features for future outreach efforts can be made available without the setup costs.

In addition, a public version of the map can serve as a primary resource for the public, especially nonlocal visitors to the North Coast, to understand the varying access and use opportunities on North Coast properties. Displaying property boundaries and linking to agency websites can create a fairly evergreen resource for visitors that requires minimal maintenance. Public agency websites and Google maps were two of the most mentioned sources of information about North Coast parks and beaches in the survey, demonstrating that visitors are already turning to

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4.3.4 Identify Leadership for Key Projects The purpose of Working Group meetings is to identify project possibilities, priorities, leadership, and involved parties.

The Working Group should strive to identify potential agency leadership and progress to confirming leadership at each meeting. Each meeting should include a review of priority projects and discussion of needed coordination, funding possibilities, and agency constraints, as well as a review of new potential or proposed projects on the North Coast and review of the full project list by zone to assess potential for agency leadership and upgraded priority.

Lead agencies on projects are responsible for advancing development of the project and leading coordination with involved parties outside of Working Group meetings.

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4.4 Funding Opportunities In addition to the utility to agencies with lands on the North Coast and a demonstration of coordination to the public, the Plan can help elected officials identify projects that address challenges along the North Coast. By presenting a vision for a better functioning and more attractive future, elected officials can elevate specific projects in competition with other priorities for funding from public agencies.

Due to diverse land ownership and management patterns in the area, virtually all levels of government have involvement, including Federal, State, regional and local public agencies. Funding may be made available from the capital budgeting processes employed at all levels for new capital investments and from annual allocations in current budgets for ongoing O&M costs. Existing fiscal resources at each level have the potential to be augmented by new revenue sources such as dedicated new taxes, various types of new assessment districts or service districts, and issuance of bonds for major capital projects.

protection, and climate and resiliency. Potential grant sources are included as Appendix D.

4.5 For Future Consideration The proposed and potential projects included in the Plan represent the most ready, high-priority projects identified by involved agencies and the public during the Plan process. The community and stakeholder engagement process identified numerous strategies, actions, programs, projects, and innovations that could contribute to achievement of the Plan’s vision and goals.

These may be further explored by the Working Group as part of future phases of the project, as well as inform future visioning and planning efforts on the North Coast. These are included as Appendix E.

In addition, projects on the North Coast may be eligible for grant programs and there is potential for philanthropic support through multiple nonprofit organizations and land management groups active on the North Coast.

The types of projects identified in the Plan are well-aligned with the current landscape of available grant programs, and future grant programming is likely to be aligned as well. Relevant grant types include park and open space access, transportation, resource

North Coast Facilities Management Plan | Santa Cruz County | October 2023

Scott Creek Beach Volunteers. Photo credit: Santa Cruz County Parks.

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Scenic North Coast Greyhound Rock Photo credit: Terry Way.

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Chapter 4. Implementation | Administrative Draft

5. CONCLUSION The NCFMP process began to meet the need for increased coordination between agencies to address the challenges experienced by visitors and locals on the stunning North Coast of Santa Cruz County. As described in Chapter 1, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, the North Coast has experienced an increasing number of visitors. The large numbers of visitors who now recreate in the area has exacerbated the need for more and improved facilities and the management of the various properties on the North Coast to ensure public comfort, safety, and to safeguard resources in this sensitive area.

resource efficiencies among agencies, and increase agency capacity to address the public’s concerns on the North Coast.

Through continued coordination, agencies will be more able to take advantage of funding opportunities, tackle projects to address the impacts of climate change, and prioritize projects that create safe and enjoyable experiences for both local residents and visitors to the North Coast.

Conditions of the future are not predictable: agencies plan projects for implementation in 20 years, while the social, financial, political, and environmental circumstances in which those projects will be happening cannot be foreseen. Ongoing coordination is the key to flexible, responsive, effective management of properties and projects on the North Coast.

In addition to identifying priority projects expressed in the Plan, the NCFMP process was an achievement in and of itself as a coordinated effort between multiple agencies. Continuing the meetings of the Working Group will maintain the coordination venue and culture for agencies working on the North Coast, create

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North Coast Facilities Master Plan | Santa Cruz County